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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23189783">Smiles That Lie</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felicity_The_Cat/pseuds/Felicity_The_Cat'>Felicity_The_Cat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Five Nights at Freddy's</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Childhood Friends, F/M, Family Drama, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, brief nonsexual nudity</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:00:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>27,402</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23189783</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felicity_The_Cat/pseuds/Felicity_The_Cat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hurricane was a rather dull place before the arrival of three young friends. Fresh out of high school, Vanny, William, and Henry chase their wildest dreams and open Fredbear's Family Diner. The restaurant is a success, but as the years go by, things start to go awry. When tragedy strikes the little Diner, it sends Hurricane into a panic.<br/>The trust between the trio starts to shift and bend, and some parties learn more than they ever wanted to.<br/>Surely... none of them were at fault for this?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Henry Emily/Mrs Emily, William Afton | Dave Miller/Reluctant Follower</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Four's a Crowd</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cold, slender fingers traced her neck with care and precision. Vanny shuddered as she shied away from the pair of ice cold hands with a huff. William, despite his age, still acted like a child more often than not. Even though both him and Vanny were in their twenties now, he still behaved like a kid at times. Cold hands on the back of her neck was only the tip of the iceberg, but Vanny couldn’t complain as a warm, tight hug pulled her back against the man.</p><p>“Will,” She protested with a gentle smile. “Come on, not at work.”</p><p>William let out a small chuckle as his chin found its way to rest on her shoulder.</p><p>“Nobody’s here to see,” he argued with a devious grin. Even though they were in the privacy of William’s private office, Vanny wiggled out of the hug. Henry could return and barge in at any second, and seeing his co-workers snuggling and being sickeningly sweet with each other would make things a little uncomfortable. Vanny always insisted that William should limit his public displays of affection while at work to prevent them from looking unprofessional, but here, In the safety of the office, William found no reason why he shouldn’t be able to pull Vanny into a hug every now and again. </p><p>“You’re too worried about this, Ness.” William hummed in a low, pleased voice.</p><p>Vanny rolled her eyes at the nickname and brushed her uniform off despite there being nothing on it <em> to </em> brush off. It was just to be dramatic, William knew.</p><p>“Kids don’t need to see us being clingy and gross.” She argued with an amused smile.<br/>William simply rolled his eyes with a scoff. “Yeah, yeah. Alright.” The man made his way back over to his desk as Vanny returned to pilfering through a cabinet containing files and blueprints.</p><p>William threw his feet up onto his desk, ignoring the papers that his black boots were now crushing. They were mostly garbage, anyway.  “Which animatronic did you say was bugging out?” He questioned with a tired roll of his wrist in a futile attempt to pop it. </p><p>“Spring Bonnie.” Vanny replied with a small sigh. “I think the kids keep shoving food into him again.” She complained with a distasteful shudder.<br/>William winced at the memory of cleaning pizza and melted candy out of the rabbit.</p><p>“Nasty little shits.” He muttered with venom in his voice. Vanny merely smiled at him before pulling a piece of paper out of the drawer. “Well, nasty or not, I’ve gotta go clean him up.” </p><p>William glanced up at her and raised a brow questioningly. “Isn’t it Henry’s turn?”</p><p>“Henry-“ Vanny began as she made her way over to the dark wooden desk where William was sitting. “-is out with Mary.” </p><p>William’s eyes widened a little in surprise; he didn’t even acknowledge Vanny as she leaned forward to organize his mess of a desk into something a little more civil and professional.</p><p>“Again? Isn’t he supposed to be here today?”</p><p>“Mmhm.” Vanny hummed with a knowing smirk.</p><p>“He claimed that they needed to do something important.” She shrugged with a carefree smile. She didn’t mind Henry’s absence; they had staff to clean and cook, so it wasn’t like she was drastically overwhelmed with work. Henry, unlike Vanny and Will, was in a brand new relationship. Him and Mary spent every moment they could possibly spare together.</p><p>Vanny found it sweet while William often saw it as a nuisance. William had nothing against Henry’s girlfriend; she seemed like an upstanding, pleasant woman. Henry’s constant absence from the pizzeria was what he had an issue with. When he, Vanny and Henry had agreed to open Fredbear’s three years ago, they had agreed to split the work, profit, and whatever else came with it. Henry had been with Mary for about four months now, and it seemed like he was skipping out on work almost every other day of the week. Vanny could tell that William felt hurt by Henry’s behaviour, but he never said it to the man himself. William could understand where Henry was coming from; If Vanny didn’t work alongside him, William was certain that he’d be sneaking off to meet with her as well. </p><p>Vanny tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear as she gave up on fixing the desk for the time being. William removed his feet from the now dirty documents and eyed Vanny with a somewhat tired expression. The three of them had gone to the same school together, lived on the same street together, and now ran a business together. The trio had always been close, and Mary’s sudden appearance was making William uneasy. Thoughts of losing Henry plagued his mind, and even though he realistically knew that Henry would stick by his side, anxiety and doubt tormented him. Vanny could tell by the expression on William’s face that he was thinking about something, and whatever that <em> ‘something’ </em> was, it was bothering him. <br/>“Are you alright?” She asked in a concerned voice. William nodded hesitantly and stood to his feet. He paced over to Vanny, and she took a few steps towards him.</p><p>“Do you think Henry’s moving on?” He finally asked. Vanny blinked.</p><p>“Moving on?” She parroted in confusion. William shifted his weight and averted his gaze.</p><p>“From us?” Vanny asked with a curious tilt of her head. William gave a brief but affirmative nod.</p><p>“Will,” Vanny wrapped her arms around the taller man’s neck with a small hum.</p><p>“Henry’s not going anywhere, you know. His girlfriend just doesn’t want to hang out in a pizzeria all day to see him.”</p><p>“So that gives him the right to slip off without telling us and push his work onto us?” William shot back with a stern yet concerned tone. Vanny shook her head with a smile, then leaned in for a quick kiss. William wanted to keep her lips pressed against his, but he knew protesting their separation was pointless. There was work to be done, and work was no place to be snuggly.</p><p>“I didn’t say that.” Vanny snickered. “What I’m saying is… Henry’s found someone he cares about. He wants to run off and be carefree with her for a while. Why don’t we indulge him a little?” William shook his head in protest of the idea as Vanny took a few steps back.</p><p>“You don’t have to agree with me, Will, but we can’t hold it against him. We all own this place, remember? He owns it just as much as we do. We can’t exactly scold the owner, now, can we?”</p><p>“We can certainly remind him that he promised to help out when we agreed to open this place.”</p><p>William shot back with a weary huff. He crossed his arms just like he always did when he was worked up over something, and while he wasn’t in the best mood, Vanny found herself smiling.</p><p>“You worry too much, Will. Things will calm down soon, and he’ll be right back here slaving over pizzas and broken robots. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?” </p><p>William shot Vanny a glance as she began to make her way for the door.</p><p>“That reminds me,” He spoke up, grabbing Vanny’s full attention. “Mm?” She hummed curiously. William relaxed a little as he saw that pretty smile on her face.</p><p>“Are we still going out tonight?” He calmly questioned. Vanny’s heart fluttered at that, and she shrugged with a wide, toothy grin. William raised a brow in a questioning manner as she reached for the doorknob.</p><p>“I’ll have to check with Fredbear,” She teased with a snicker. William shot her an empty glare as she slipped out into the crowded pizzeria.</p><p> </p><p>Children were running around and screaming as per usual, and the smell of pizza filled the air.</p><p>The sound of the arcade machines filled the building along with the happy chatter of parents, and with a content smile, Vanny began to make her way across the carpeted floors and up to the show stage. Her boots were silent on the multicolored abomination of a floor, and every step had a bounce in it. Several regular patrons looked on at her as she passed and offered her warm smiles and friendly waves which she happily returned. Life was blissful with or without Henry’s help. Who was Vanny to deny him of some quality time with a woman he’d fallen for?</p><p>Vanny cared for Henry, and she cared for his happiness. If she had to clean a few extra tables and sort a few extra papers, it was worth it. Henry was her best friend, and he was William’s as well. Vanny completely understood where her boyfriend’s concerns were coming from, but she wasn’t worried herself. Henry would never leave her or William behind, and he would never step away from the diner. The place was named after his own character for god’s sake. As she approached the stage, her gaze caught on the glimmering purple curtains. That was one of her own touches to the diner. While William and Henry designed and created the robots, Vanny put smaller touches around the restaurant. Sparkling purple show curtains, cute posters of her boyfriend’s precious little rabbit… Anything to liven the place up. The amount of customers chattering away in the dining area was a testament to how well the three of them worked together. Henry relied on William and Vanny as much as they relied on him. Vanny was confident that he wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon.</p><p>Right next to the show stage was a black door that led to the parts and service room. That was where she needed to be. Vanny slipped into the back room where most of the extra robotic and suit parts were stored with a small huff. It was considerably quieter in here, and Vanny was thankful for that. The customers came here for more than just the food and games, she knew.</p><p>Fixing Spring Bonnie was a necessity, both for the customer’s sake and for her own.</p><p>Vanny snatched a toolbox off of a work table and turned to a small doorway to her right. Purple curtains prevented her from seeing the other side, but with one effortless step forward through the curtains, she was met with the stars of the diner. Two tall robots stood in the dim light, towering over the woman.</p><p>A set of eyes drifted over to Vanny as she paced onto the stage with her toolbox. It was a sight that both the bear and the rabbit were accustomed to. Fredbear’s ears wiggled as he watched Vanny make her way over to his companion.</p><p>“Good afternoon, Miss Vanny.” Fredbear greeted with a pleasant hum. Vanny gave the bear a smile as she sat the toolbox at Spring Bonnie’s feet.</p><p>“Good afternoon to you, Mr. Fredbear.” She hummed with a chipper smile.</p><p>“What seems to be the problem with fluffbottom this time around?” She asked with a tired yawn.</p><p>Fredbear glanced over to Spring Bonnie with another wiggle of his ears.</p><p>“His jaw stuck again, and his ears were twitching when he didn’t want them to.” The bear explained in a gentle tone. Even though Vanny knew they were just robots, she had formed a little bond with them that none of the other employees had. She always fixed them up and kept them running, and they adored her for it.</p><p>“It’s not candy this time?” She clarified with a sideways glance at Fredbear. With a firm shake of his head, Fredbear assured her that candy wasn’t the culprit this time around. </p><p>“I think he overheated.” Fredbear murmured with a weary glance up at the rabbit’s frozen ears.</p><p>Spring Bonnie was completely still and lifeless. He had most likely shut himself off after realizing he was acting up in fear of damaging whatever was still unoperational.</p><p>“Let’s hope none of his circuits are fried.” Vanny huffed as she opened the rabbit up to examine him. Fredbear watched as she worked in silence. He was in awe of how well the woman handled the tools he always saw William use. Nobody was quite as gentle with them as she was. William was by no means rough, but they were just robots to him. Fredbear had no bond with that man, and neither did Spring Bonnie. Vanny was kind and caring, though. She went out of her way to be nice to them, and so they naturally had favorited her over every other employee, though they insisted that she kept that information under wraps. She had no intention of letting anyone else in on their little secret. After about ten minutes, the rabbit above her came to life with a whurr and a click. His jaw snapped shut and opened a few times and his ears wiggled and moved around experimentally. His big, green eyes locked onto Vanny as she collected her tools and shoved them back into the box.</p><p>“Thank you, Miss Vanny.” The rabbit chirped out with a buck toothed grin.</p><p>Vanny smiled up at him as she stood to her feet, clutching the toolbox firmly in one of her hands.<br/>“Of course, Springy.” Vanny leaned forward and ruffled the fur on the side of the yellow rabbit’s cheek. The animatronic leaned into the touch with a pleased hum. “It’s almost showtime,” </p><p>The brunette hummed. The animatronics exchanged excited glances and Spring Bonnie’s tail wagged softly behind him. Vanny stretched out her hand to give Fredbear a friendly pat on the chest as she made her way back to the door. “Don’t break down on me again.” </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Vanny put the tool box back where she had gotten it from and quickly made her way out of the back room. The chatter from customers once again filled her ears, and as the beginning notes of the next show rang out through the speakers, several children rushed up to the stage to watch their beloved characters sing and come to life. Vanny carefully made her way around the children who were rushing past her to greet the golden robots; knocking one of them down wasn’t her intent, and dealing with the aftermath of bumping into a clumsy toddler wasn’t something she wanted to deal with. As she neared the front of the building, the sight of a familiar vehicle in the parking lot caught her attention. The red pickup truck glistened in the sunlight, right next to the purple car that William called his own. Henry was back, it seemed. </p><p>Vanny felt herself smiling as she paced back towards William’s office. She knew that there was no reason to worry, but Henry’s return would soothe William. Vanny quickly found herself at the wooden door and knocked before pushing it open. She didn’t need to wait for a response; it was William’s office, afterall. She was always welcome there.</p><p>Vanny froze in the doorway at the sight of Henry grasping onto William’s shoulders.</p><p>Tears were running down the bigger man’s cheeks, and William looked to Vanny with a bewildered expression. Henry turned to Vanny with a wide smile, and that smile confused her even more. Why was he smiling if he was crying?<br/>“Henry?” Vanny finally managed as she stepped inside and shut the door behind her.</p><p>“Is everything…. Alright?” Henry pulled away from William and made his way over to Vanny.</p><p>The woman let out a surprised squeak as she was pulled into a tight, unexpected hug.</p><p>She should have seen it coming, really. Henry always <em> had </em> been a hugger.</p><p>“Oh, Vanny!” Henry sobbed out with a giant smile. Vanny looked over at William with a questioning gaze, but William simply stared at her with a shaken expression.</p><p>“What’s wrong, big guy?” Vanny questioned as she returned the hug, alibet much more gentle than Henry. The redheaded man sniffled and pulled away from her to gaze down into her eyes.</p><p>Henry let out a joyful laugh and wiped some of his tears on the back of his flannel sleeve.</p><p>“Mary’s pregnant.”</p><p>Vanny stared up at him for a long moment with wide eyes. She had no idea how to process this, but she gave him a nervous smile that passed for a congratulatory one. As Henry pulled her back into a hug, Vanny stared over his shoulder at William with a worried expression.</p><p>William blinked, turned, and leaned against the wall as a hand came up to cover his mouth.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Amends To Be Seen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“You’re sure?” Vanny questioned Henry with a serious expression.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William was now seated at his desk, and Vanny and Henry had pulled a couple of extra chairs around the cluttered surface to converse. Henry gave a confident nod.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re positive… Mary and I are talking about moving in together-” Before Henry could finish that sentence, William leaned forward with a concerned expression.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Henry, you haven’t even known her for six months. This is insane.” Vanny glanced over to William with a worried expression. She agreed that things had moved much too fast between Henry and Mary, but the damage had already been done. Henry had a choice to make, and it was clear that he was sticking by his girlfriend’s side no matter what.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Henry gave a small nod in agreement. “I know, I know, but… I’m going to be a father, William. I’m not going to just leave Mary, especially now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William shifted in his seat with an uncomfortable huff. He was clearly nervous if his bouncing leg and inability to hold eye contact for more than a few seconds were any indicators.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t say that,” William huffed. “I told you-” William shook his head and gazed down at the floor as his leg bounced even faster. He was trying to contain himself and prevent having a breakdown. Vanny made a move to reach out and comfort him but ultimately decided against it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I told you-”  William repeated as his voice wavered. “I told you to be f-ucking careful, you idiot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Henry flinched at the words and Vanny winced. William’s insults held no weight to them; it was clear that he was just scared and distressed. Henry gave William a soft gaze. He was well aware that William wasn’t truly mad at him, but the insult still hurt nonetheless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“William, this wasn’t planned. None of this was intentional.” Vanny shrunk in on herself a little as the two exchanged words. Henry was more defensive than upset, while William seemed to be one blow away from breaking down into tears, an anxiety attack, or both.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And now what, Henry? You’re letting a stranger move into your home and take over your life?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William spat out as he shook his head in disbelief. Henry blinked in bewilderment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mary’s not a stranger, Will. I thought you liked her?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It doesn’t matter how I feel about the woman, Henry. I have nothing against her… I have everything against you rushing into something with a woman you’ve just met.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Vanny scooted a little closer to the desk when she noticed the tears gathering in the corners of William’s eyes. “Will, sweetheart-” Her soft voice was drowned out by William’s shaky one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re throwing everything away, Henry. You’re going to wind up regretting this-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Regretting what?” Henry growled out. It seemed that anger was beginning to rise in the man, which wasn’t a common thing to see in the slightest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Her</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” William snapped. “Her and that kid! You’re going to be stuck with her and -”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And what, William? You’re afraid that because the kid wasn’t planned that they’re going to go to hell? Is that it?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Vanny stood to her feet in a heartbeat. She’d heard enough from both of them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, knock it off,” She pleaded. “Let’s calm down and talk about this later,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her words fell upon deaf ears. Henry stood to his feet as well and took a few steps towards the door. William looked over at him with a soft expression; the regret was plain to see on his face, but Henry didn’t acknowledge it. “Not every bastard gets beat, William.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Henry!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Vanny yelled in shock as he left the office in a hurry. The door slammed behind him and Vanny was left with a trembling, crying mess of a boyfriend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a huff, she made her way over to William, wearing a sad expression.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will-” She called out softly. William was turned away from her, shaking like a leaf.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He hates me.” The man croaked out. Vanny shook her head and leaned down to pull him into a gentle hug. William’s hands came up to hold onto her arms as he sniffled.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No, he doesn’t. You’re both confused and scared.” Vanny cooed in a soft voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not scared.” William insisted despite the fact that he was still shaking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He didn’t mean it, William.” Vanny tried to assure him gently. She pressed her cheek against his own, and if the arms of his chair weren’t separating them, she would have already pulled his back against her chest. The two remained silent for a while as they clung to each other in silence. Both of them were shaken and worried, but they were there for eachother. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Henry wouldn’t ever hurt anybody.” Vanny finally whispered after what seemed like an eternity of silence. It was something that should have gone without saying. Henry was the type of man to go </span>
  <em>
    <span>out of his way </span>
  </em>
  <span>to help others. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Every spring he would show off the baby birds he'd rescued to either one of them, and he had cried for a week after accidentally hitting a rabbit in his truck. Henry had a big heart. There wasn’t a single violent or malicious bone in his body.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He wouldn’t hurt his child, William. You know that…” Vanny whispered out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William hesitantly nodded. He knew that, but hearing it out loud made him feel just a little better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny ran her fingers through William’s dark, messy hair and he leaned against her as his breathing began to return to normal and his tears started to dry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s not mad at you,” Vanny continued. “But you need to apologize.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tomorrow…” William huffed. He was too exhausted to face Henry again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was good enough for her. She gave him a small nod and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. There would be time to make amends later. If things went like they usually did, Henry would be coming around tomorrow morning with a platter of William’s favorite cookies, muttering every form of apology he could. He and Will didn’t butt heads often, but whenever they did, it was abundantly clear that all had been forgiven shortly after the dust had settled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny always stepped to the side whenever they got into it; there wasn’t much she could do or say to break them up half the time, but none of their arguments had ever been about something this serious. The last time she had actually seen Henry get angry was when they were still sixteen and living at home back in the midwest. Vanny pushed the memories of their childhoods away in favour of pulling away from William with a soft, reassuring hum.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Head home, Will. I can wrap things up here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William shook his head and wiped his eyes with his hands. “No.” He huffed firmly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s still early. I’m not leaving you to deal with everything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny gave him a disapproving look as she crossed her arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like what? Helping the others clean the tables? Making sure that the rabbit doesn’t combust into literal flames?” She huffed. William found himself smiling ever so slightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think that a date night is exactly what we need tonight.” Vanny gently prompted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can relax and take our minds off of this… alright?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William remained silent for a moment but eventually nodded. With a small smile, Vanny nodded in return and reached out for William’s hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are we still going to that italian restaurant outside of town?” She questioned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William took ahold of her hand and stood up, towering over the woman.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was obvious that he was still upset, but Vanny was doing all she could to comfort and console him. The promise of pasta was definitely a good way to help make the rest of the day just a little better. William gazed down at Vanny and gave her a small nod.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you still want to,” He hummed. Vanny pressed a little closer to William and rested her head on his chest for a long moment. She was breaking her own rules of not being clingy at work, but this was an exception. William was still on the verge of tears, and Vanny wasn’t going to refrain from offering him anything and everything she could to cheer him up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I do,” Vanny hummed softly. “And after that, maybe we could let off a little steam? I’ve been planning something fun for a few weeks, and I think tonight would be a good time to give it a shot.” William looked down at her with interest, and even though he couldn’t see her face, he knew that she was most likely wearing that wonderful, devious grin of hers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William gently placed a hand on the back of her head and stroked her soft hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do I get to know what it is?” He questioned with a gentle smirk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.” Vanny scoffed. “That would ruin the surprise, wouldn’t it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I suppose so…” William watched in silence as Vanny pulled away from his chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Head home, Will. I can wrap things up here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William nodded slowly. He was well aware that arguing with Vanny wouldn’t get him anywhere.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her mind was made up, and he had no chance of changing it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What should I wear?” The man asked with a knowing smirk. The surprise wasn’t much of a surprise, in truth. Vanny was well aware that he had caught on, but she grinned nonetheless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing light.” She purred as she turned to make her way out of the office with a pleased hum. “Stains are a bitch.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Vanny forked at her remaining pasta with a small groan. The candle in the middle of their table had been filling the air with a sickeningly sweet aroma since they had arrived, but Vanny’s nausea was caused solely from the amount of pasta she’d gorged herself on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I told you to stop.” William muttered in a low, amused tone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny shot him a glare as she pushed her plate away from herself. Every time they came here, Vanny always ended up overeating and returning home with extra pasta that William would steal in the following days. It was tradition. “You’re not the boss of me,” Vanny snickered with a cocky grin. Her eyes locked onto the candle as it flickered and swayed, causing the red wax beneath the flame to melt and run down its glossy sides.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you ready to head out?” William questioned as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. Vanny was well aware that nobody other than them dared to do such a disrespectful thing in such a fine establishment. Elbows belonged on the table! Where else would they go?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not in their laps, that was for sure. They weren’t old, strict grumps yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Only if you’re ready to ruin your shirt.” Vanny snickered. William had worn a plain black T-shirt this time around. He knew what Vanny’s little ‘surprise’ was going to consist of, so he’d slipped on an older shirt that he didn’t care about before leaving the house. With one glance what Vanny was wearing, he could tell that she had done the same. Her old raggedy hoodie was much too baggy on her and sported several tears and rips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was the same one she had worn last time they had planned a ‘surprise’, and the thought of what they were going to do made William’s heart race in excitement. It had been much too long since they’d had the chance to get their hands dirty, and tonight was the perfect night to get back in the saddle. The moon was supposed to be full, which meant that they were going to have plenty of light to see. William gave her a confident grin and let out a snicker.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t wait.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Vanny gazed out the car window with an eager grin. The old country road they were driving along was surrounded by woods that led directly into their backyard. Both Vanny and William knew the woods well; they spent a good amount of time in them, afterall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The car slowed to a stop as William pulled into their whiterock driveway. Vanny looked over at Will with a huge grin as he leaned forward to plant a quick, brief kiss on her lips.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>She watched with excitement in her eyes as he began to reach for the door handle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll give you ten minutes to hide.” She beamed. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Ten?” He parroted back with a grin. “I only need five.”  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny found herself rolling her eyes at his arrogance but she didn’t protest. If he only wanted five minutes to get away from her, she wasn’t going to argue.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hurry your ass up, then.” She urged with a playful shove. William reached out and ruffled her hair into a frizzy disaster before opening the door and stepping out into the chill evening air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sky was bright and he could see the dew clinging to the unkempt blades of grass in the yard. William sucked in a deep breath of the spring air before heading towards the back of the house that he and Vanny called home. There were definitely perks to living out in the middle of the country, and what they had planned for tonight was no exception.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William’s heart sped up in excitement as he made his way towards the shed at the back of the house. Everything he needed was in there, but he needed to be quick. He had already shaved five minutes off of his time to hide to prove that he was better at this little game than Vanny. He was usually the one to end the night with more stains on his clothes, but tonight he wanted to change that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William opened the shed door and scrambled for his things. Vanny wouldn’t hesitate even a moment after those five minutes had expired. She wasn’t going to give him the luxury of extra time he’d assured her he didn’t need.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny sat in the car patiently, timing every second that went by. William had insisted on five minutes, so five minutes was what she was going to give him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as that five minutes had passed, she was stepping out of the car and making her way towards the shed. Her boots glistened in the moonlight that was beating down on her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The door to the shed was already open and the single hanging light buzzed and groaned, threatening to give out and leave Vanny with only the moonlight to navigate with. Inside, on a table that was cluttered with robotic parts and tools, sat her gun. Vanny reached for the purple and pink spray painted abomination with a pleased smile. The paint gun had obviously been placed there by William on his way out. It seemed that he had already loaded it for her as well. Vanny’s fingers slid across the trigger as she picked it up with care. She was going to kick his ass once again. It had only been five minutes, after all. He couldn’t have gotten that far.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny walked with purpose in her step as she slipped into the woods that wrapped around their cozy little home. William was most likely hiding behind a tree already, waiting for her to strike.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny remained alert and light on her feet as she crept into the woods. It was just bright enough for her to be able to see William, yet dark enough that it was going to make their little game a challenge. This game was one that both of them thoroughly enjoyed and adored. Creeping around in the dead of night was something they did often; it was a game to them. It was a way to cling to one of the only good parts of their childhoods. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When their parents and home lives became too much, Vanny, William, and Henry all found comfort in the safety of the woods.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>These weren’t the same woods that they had grown up with, though, and that forest from their youth was tucked away in another state, but these late night games of paintball still brought them happiness despite their age. When they were kids, cheap flashlights and the light of the moon was all they had needed to guide them, and they had always returned home with paint stains on their shirts and skin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The trio had always tried to hide their shenanigans from their parents, but their guardian’s pryful eyes got the best of them a handful of times. Henry had been grounded for a week for sneaking out when his parents caught on. Vanny and William had wished that a simple grounding was where their punishment had ended.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of rustling nearby alerted Vanny of William’s presence. As quick as she could manage, she slipped behind the cover of a tree. The feeling of being hit with paintballs wasn’t unknown to her. She knew the feeling well, and if at all possible, she wanted to avoid it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were only two rules to their little game; no headshots, and no groin shots.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny had admittedly broken rule two on more than one occasion, even though it wasn’t intentional or malicious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought I was the hunter this time.” Vanny called out with a stupid smirk on her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a brief moment of silence before William replied; his voice was alarmly close, and it made Vanny’s legs tense as the urge to flee began to rise.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And who says I can’t take the first shot? The prey isn’t always defenseless.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny held onto her gun a little tighter as she sucked in a deep breath. If she was quick, she could bolt to another tree, then another, and then into the mess of fallen ones that she always sought out for cover. William always had trouble spotting her in the mess of broken limbs and logs. It was her favorite place to hide whenever she was the prey, and even though William knew this, he still found it very difficult to spot her in the tangled jungle she found refuge in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not playing very fair, Will.” Vanny snickered as she prepared to bolt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William let out a genuine laugh. “I don’t think we ever have.” His voice was much closer now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny realized with an excited flutter of her heart that she didn’t have much time to make a move. She knew that she wasn’t truly in danger, but she felt the urge to run, hide, and beat William just as she had the last time they played. Their brief exchange had given away her position, but it had given away William’s as well. Vanny was running out of time to bolt. She smiled wide and pushed away from the tree in a blur of motion. Adrenaline rushed through her as she heard several paintballs hit the trees around her and the ground at her feet. Much to William’s dismay, she made it to the cover of the fallen trees without being tagged a single time. Despite the missed opportunity, he found himself content and smiling. Things were going to be alright.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Behind Closed Curtains</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>William winced as the warm, wet cloth ran across his pink stained skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny sat in front of him in one of their kitchen chairs, cleaning the paint from William with a content smile on her face. Just like she had hoped, William was the one who had been covered in the most paint that night. Despite the fact that he rarely walked out of those woods victorious, William adored playing this game with her. Spending time with Vanny was one of the few things that calmed him down and made him feel better. They had been through thick and thin together and neither of them were going anywhere; that had become evident through the years since they met in the seventh grade. They were inseparable; their relationship was something that William had often found himself relying on for his own sanity. Vanny was one of the few people who had truly stuck by him no matter what, and he loved her more than any words could ever describe. While most girls had found his odd little mechanical creatures to be disturbing or downright scary, Vanny took great interest in them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William hadn’t started off making eight-foot-tall robots, though. He had started off small, just like all creators. The first mechanical animal he had ever shown off to Vanny was a small rabbit about the size of a teddy bear. It didn’t do much; its eyes functioned, the jaw opened and snapped shut, and it repeated simple phrases that he had programmed into it. Vanny was captivated by the little brown and white rabbit, so much so that William had gifted it to her for her birthday just a few months after they had met. That rabbit was still with her to this day; it sat in their bedroom atop a shelf, smiling and staring out at nothing in particular. She cared for it deeply, but she cared for William more. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re going to bruise.” She sighed with a small wince. Her voice was enough to pull William from his thoughts, and he returned her concern with a small, unconcerned nod. Bruises weren’t something he was too worried about. It wasn’t life-threatening, and they would heal rather quickly. “It’s not the end of the world.” He shrugged with a dopey grin. Vanny gave him a soft smile in return and continued to wash the paint from his skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you too tired to stay awake for a movie?” She questioned. William leaned back in his chair and shook his head no.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think I can manage to stay awake through whatever boring movie you’re fixated on.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny shot him a playful glare and rolled her eyes. The last movie they had watched together had proven to be rather boring and dull, and William wasn’t showing any signs of letting it go any time soon. Neither of them had liked the movie, but that wasn’t stopping William from tormenting Vanny over her regrettable decision. With a smirk, Vanny sat the wet cloth down on the kitchen table and stood to fetch some popcorn from the cabinet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then you can pick this time, smartass.” She snickered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny woke up in the early afternoon, curled into a ball on the couch. With a weary yawn and stretch, she realized that she had fallen asleep during the movie. It took her a few moments of lying there to recall what they had even watched, and as the memories of the bland action movie came flooding back, she shoved them away in favor of rolling over and pressing her face into the back of the couch. The sound of the shower down the hall told her where William was, but the faint ticking of the grandfather clock nearby reminded her that she couldn’t stay in bed all day. Even though she owned Fredbear’s- or shared it, rather, she was still expected to show up. She was just as responsible for that place as Henry and William were, even if she wanted nothing more than to laze about and sleep all day. The robots always needed her attention, though. There was always something to improve or fix, and with the high standards that they had set for themselves in Hurricane, having something go wrong simply wasn’t an option.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If one of the robots combusted into flames, Vanny wasn’t too sure if the company would have enough money to pay for any petrified children’s therapist visits.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Enough children were put off and scared by the robots as it was; one of them bursting into flames would just be the icing on the cake. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The clock’s soft ticks seemed to grow louder as Vanny’s grogginess ebbed away and she mentally prepared herself for the day’s mishaps.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Henry and William’s little falling out was something she still had to deal with, even if she simply stood on the sidelines and watched. She needed to make sure all was well between the two, and most importantly, keeping it out of the public’s prying eye. Nobody had seen what conspired in the safety of William’s office, and Vanny wanted to keep knowledge of it under wraps.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Henry would surely be ready to apologize some time today… right? He was usually the one to apologize first, even when he wasn’t the one in the wrong. It wasn’t that William would deny that he was in the wrong, but he was always much too anxious and upset to reach out first.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Henry knew this, and he completely understood, but William still tore himself up over his inability to put on a brave face and apologize first a good percentage of the time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny slowly sat up with a small yawn. A small, faint feeling of guilt was beginning to creep in due to how much of the day she had slept away, but she didn’t let it bother her for long.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were more pressing matters to deal with, anyway. Breakfast was the first thing she planned on tackling if anyone considered reheated garlic bread at </span>
  <em>
    <span>12:34 </span>
  </em>
  <span>in the afternoon breakfast.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Vanny sluggishly mozied into the kitchen, the noise of the shower down the hall stopped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William was apparently done, and after she ate her fill of soggy, garlicky carbs, she would shower and head in to work. Vanny pulled the fridge door open effortlessly and grabbed onto the small white paper bag that contained the remaining garlic bread from the night prior.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny looked down at the greasy bag in her hand for a long moment before deciding that she didn’t care enough to warm it before digging in. She was hungry now, and wasting time and effort to get it warmed up didn’t seem worth it. With her breakfast in hand, Vanny made her way over to the kitchen table and took a seat with a tired huff. The sound of shuffling down the hall alerted her of William’s approach, and she held onto her breakfast just a little tighter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William would be after a piece, no doubt. He had already laid claim to her leftover spaghetti, though. There was no way she was letting him make off with the garlic bread as well.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>By the time William had entered the kitchen, Vanny had already managed to eat half of a slice of the soggy bread. William squinted at her with a questioning look, glanced down at the bread in her hands, then shook his head before walking over to the fridge. He knew her well enough to realize that she was eating it cold. It was one of her gross habits he knew all too well. A blue body towel had been wrapped around his waist, yet his chest and hair were still damp. He’d been kind enough to dry his feet and not track water everywhere this time, at least. Vanny smiled at him as he went for the container of spaghetti. Unlike her, he wasn’t a savage, and he had intentions of heating it up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Was Henry by this morning?” She asked before taking another bite of the bread.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William sat the container of pasta down on the counter and shook his head in the negative.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. But I’m hoping he’ll be at work today so we can… speak.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Make up, you mean?” Vanny corrected gently. William glanced back at her before scooping the pasta into a bowl to heat up. He was silent for a moment, but he eventually nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. I’m going to apologize.” The man assured her. Vanny smiled gently and stood to her feet, abandoning the remaining bread on the kitchen table. With a bounce in her step, she made her way up behind William and wrapped her arms around his torso. Her lips found their way to his cheek, and she gave him a gentle kiss before pulling away with an affectionate hum.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going to shower and then we should head in.” She chirped. William nodded in response and turned to grab what little bread she had saved for him off of the table to heat up with his pasta.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>“Miss Vanny!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny took a startled step back as the big, yellow ball of fur darted up to her. Spring Bonnie towered over her with that huge, toothy grin of his. Vanny returned his smile and took another step back to better gaze up into those pretty green eyes of his. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello there, Bon. Is everything alright?” She questioned with a curious tilt of her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of excited squeals from nearby children was deafening, but Vanny was able to hear the rabbit’s gentle words. This wasn’t what she had expected to be greeted with ten seconds after walking into work, but when sentient robots were afoot, things weren’t always too predictable. She glanced back at William, and he cautiously stepped around the woman with a nervous chuckle. He had found his creation’s utter fascination with her was a little odd at first, but he was well used to it by now. Who could resist Vanny’s pretty little smile and those big, doe eyes? Apparently her charm didn’t work solely on humans. Even the hulking, mechanical animals seemed to fawn over her. William glanced back at her with a timid smile, both wishing her luck on the workday and seeking one final smile from her before heading off to make amends. Vanny flashed him a hopeful little beam before she was led away by Spring Bonnie, leaving William to his own devices. The man turned his attention back to the task at hand and kept moving towards Henry’s office. It was the closest office to the entrance, yet the walk there felt eternal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Each step felt like William was being pulled closer to something he could potentially regret.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The slim possibility that Henry wouldn’t forgive him was petrifying, and even though William was fully aware that it </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> highly unlikely that he wouldn’t be forgiven, the fact that Henry wasn’t required to make up with him was horrifying. Sometimes he wished that he could program people like the animatronics; then they could never hurt or leave him. He would never have to fear rejection, and all would be well with the world. William didn’t want to be friends with soulless, emotionless machines, though. He wanted to be friends with Henry, and Henry was a human being. Humans were much more difficult to understand and please than metal, and that fact both comforted and terrified William. Henry’s reactions couldn’t be calculated or programmed, and any mistakes William made couldn’t simply be wiped from Henry’s mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William adored Henry. He always had, ever since they met as children. It was one of the only friendships he had in his youth, and even now, it was one of the few he cared for. Vanny was a friend turned lover, leaving Henry as William’s only true friend. There were the towns people who William conversed with and put on a pretty little smile for, but he felt very little towards them. He wanted no harm to come to them, yet he couldn’t bring himself to truly care for them as he did for Henry. To say that the man had trust issues was an understatement, but one issue stemmed from another. William was a twisted, mangled mess of scars and tainted emotions. He had trouble sharing and showing how he truly felt, but Henry understood this. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Henry was always there for him, and he never truly stayed mad at William for long, even when William felt like what he’d done was unforgivable. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When William finally arrived at the door, it took every ounce of bravery he could muster up to reach out and knock. Four delicate thumps were the trio’s own way of letting each other know that the person on the other side of the door wasn’t a random employee. It was the knock of three, close-knit friends. William sucked in a deep breath before finally pushing his way into the office. There, in front of his desk, Henry stood. It was clear that he had been making his way over to the door, but whether he was coming over to let William in or tell him to go away was yet to be seen. Will mustered up a weak smile despite the fact that showing any signs of happiness felt wrong. He wasn’t allowed to show joy until all was well, in his broken mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Henry blinked and looked up at the taller man with an unreadable expression. William dug his nails into the palm of his hand as anxiety raced through him. He sucked in a shaky, wavering breath, but before he could manage any words, Henry was closing the distance between them to bring William into a tight hug. William instinctively stiffened at the contact just like he normally did, then relaxed with a sound akin to a sigh and a whimper. All was forgiven, it seemed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They hadn’t even uttered their verbal apologies yet and that much was clear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Henry eventually released William from the hug, and William found the courage to speak first.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I didn’t mean any of it,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he began with a wince. Henry merely smiled and nodded. He knew; he didn’t need William to tell him, but hearing it out loud was comforting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know.” Henry hummed in reply with a soft gaze. “Neither did I.” The redheaded man added.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William, despite the anxiety he felt moments before, found the courage to continue.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m…. sorry.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” The words, even though belated, held every ounce of sincerity that they possibly could. There was nothing about their exchange yesterday that William had enjoyed, and he was going to make up for it in any way he possibly could. Henry closed the gap between them again and enveloped William in another firm embrace. “I am too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William gave Henry an awkward little smile as the hug stretched far past the point of his own comfort. Henry always was a clingy, touchy little thing. There were few people that William had ever sucked up his own personal feelings for, but Henry, just like Vanny, was a rare exception.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t put another blue one in!” Came a flustered little squeak. Vanny was currently sitting on the show stage cross-legged. The curtains were closed, hiding whatever hell Spring Bonnie and Fredbear had just unleashed upon her long, brown locks. Spring had successfully pulled her away not long after she had arrived to show her something that a little girl had taught him. Her hair had been put up into a series of braids that had initially been pulled far too tight, much to Bonnie’s dismay. He had apologized profusely as he loosened the braids, and Vanny had merely given him that ever gentle smile of hers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fredbear loomed above her with a skeptical gaze. He had been watching the entire little hair due go down and had even been kind enough to hold the flowers for Spring Bonnie to fish from his hands whenever the rabbit needed another one. Fredbear had lost count of how many flowers had been intertwined in her hair, but he had a strong feeling that taking it down would be time-consuming whenever she arrived home. Vanny was sitting in silence as the two robots above her rambled on about the next color that should go into her braids. Spring had been allowing Fredbear to pick the color that went in next, but after four consecutive blue’s, the little rabbit was beginning to grow bored of the color.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If we put that many blue ones that close together, it will look weird! I don’t want to upset Miss Vanny.” Spring whined from where he sat next to the woman. Fredbear shrugged his shoulders and went silent. He was obviously thinking, but Vanny wasn’t sure if he was trying to make a decision on a color or a comeback to playfully torment his companion. Vanny found herself relaxing in relief when the bear settled on the color purple instead of some witty comeback.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Spring Bonnie perked up and lunged forward to snag a purple flower out of Fredbear’s paw.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny watched with a soft smile as the rabbit’s tail wagged like an excited puppy. He slipped the flower into her hair with delicate hands; he was very aware of how small Vanny was compared to them, and hurting someone wasn’t something he ever wanted to do.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Have the employees been treating you well?” Vanny asked the two as they continued to make decisions on her hair’s fate.  Spring Bonnie smiled and nodded vigorously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, yes, yes, yes! The new one brushed my fur a few days ago!” he beamed just a little too loudly. Fredbear gave him a gentle smile that let him know to quiet down, and Spring let out a giggle as he turned his attention back to Vanny’s hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The new one?” She parroted with an inquisitive glance. “Marta?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, oh, yes! It was Marta.” Spring Bonnie beamed with a wide grin. Vanny nodded with a small smile and took a mental note of that. She always appreciated when her employees treated the robots with care. Most of the employees avoided the robots if they could. Spring Bonnie was much too hyper when he got excited, and the fact that they seemed to actually be alive freaked some of them out. One thing was certain; William was a talented man who made amazing, albeit creepy, creations. Vanny had never found either of the animatronics to be creepy. She had been right there, helping William and Henry build them every step of the way. She helped design parts of them in their early concept stages, and even lent a hand in assembling them with William. Even if she hadn’t designed the insides of the fluffy, over-excitable bots, she still felt responsible for their creation. She had picked out the bowties they wore and had even made Fredbear’s hat herself. She was attached to the machines, probably more than she should have been. Where her employees saw artificial intelligence, Vanny saw two real, living beings. She knew they were mechanical, yes, but they were real to her. They expressed such emotions and had free will; how could she not see living creatures? Fredbear and Bonnie were her friends, even if some people found it creepy. They kept their more intimate moments like these behind closed curtains for obvious reasons. Vanny didn’t want to be viewed as mentally unstable by the public, even if she knew that her attachment to the bots wasn’t healthy.  It didn’t take long until Spring Bonnie was pulling away with a pleased hum. He eyed his handiwork with a little wag of his fluffy tail, then perked his ears up pridefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How does she look, Freddy?” The rabbit asked with a hopeful glance up at his counterpart. Fredbear perked his ears up and wiggled them for a moment as he took in the sight of Vanny’s flower infested hair. Vanny gave the bear a soft, content smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s alright for a first try, I suppose.” The bear grinned wide as Bonnie’s ears lowered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, hush!!” The rabbit hissed as he stood to his feet. Vanny remained sitting on the stage for a moment before standing up as well. “I’m sure it looks wonderful, Bon.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny hummed as she leaned forward to give the rabbit a gentle hug. Spring’s little tail began swishing back and forth once again as he was embraced, which made Vanny smile. He always was an excitable little goofball. The automated tune over the speakers announced that the next show would be starting soon, so with a small huff, Vanny pulled away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you for doing my hair, sweetheart.” She reached out and cupped the side of the rabbit’s face, to which he leaned into the touch. Vanny gently pet his golden fur before pulling her hand away. She had to go so that they could perform for the kids, after all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where did you get the flowers, anyway?” She questioned with a raised brow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The girls keep bringing him gifts.” Fredbear huffed as he crossed his arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bonnie began gathering up the remaining flowers into his hands with a worried glance in Vanny’s direction. “Don’t tell Mr. Afton, please,” He pleaded softly. The animatronic paced over to the back of the stage and pulled the wooden trim away from the wall. Vanny paced over with a curious gaze as the rabbit placed the flowers into a small hole in the wall. There were other things in there as well, such as a few toys and other small things that most people would consider garbage. They were all gifts from the children, Vanny knew. She had no intention of telling William about the rabbit’s little stash of treasures.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t. I promise.” She assured the rabbit with a friendly nod and grin. Spring Bonnie returned her smile and pushed the trim back into place against the back wall. Fredbear made his way to the front of the stage, then straightened his bowtie before retrieving his microphone from the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you going to be in tomorrow?” The bear questioned with a glance toward Vanny.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I should be.” She hummed as she brushed the dirt from her pants that had no doubt come from the stage. Someone really needed to clean up here.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny let out a surprised squeak as Spring Bonnie pulled her into one final, bone-crushing hug.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Goodbye, Miss Vanny!” He chirped. Vanny watched with an amused smile as Fredbear shook his head and rolled his eyes. Spring had always been much more affectionate than Fredbear, and as a result, the bear gently teased the rabbit from time to time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny pulled away and began heading towards the backstage door, leaving her mechanical companions to prepare for their big performance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny got a few looks when she emerged from the back room with her hair braided and laced with flowers, but she only gave a few smiles to the curious customers and continued on towards the front of the building. If William wasn’t out of Henry’s office, she supposed she could restock the prize counter or do something to help out the employees. As she got closer to the front, she caught sight of William speaking to one of the newer employees. Her pace slowed, and she listened in on the conversation he was having. It was nothing interesting; he was simply reminding them of a few things that needed attention around the pizzeria; needing to call someone about a broken arcade machine, and cleaning the cursed ball pit. Once he had finished speaking with the employee, Vanny crept up behind him and grabbed a hold of his shoulders. William tensed and Vanny let out a soft giggle. “So?” She inquired with a playful tilt of her head. William spun around to face her, and just like she always did, Vanny slipped her hands into her pockets. Sometimes she hated her own rule that prevented public displays of affection. She wanted to pull William into a quick hug but ultimately knew that customers would see. Hugs could wait, she supposed. Her bond with the animatronics wasn’t the only thing she kept hidden from her customers. While Hurricane knew that she and Will were an item, she wasn’t one to flaunt it. Walking into any establishment and seeing the owners hugging and kissing each other would be awkward.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William looked at the flowers on Vanny’s head for a moment, clearly confused as to why they were there, but ultimately decided to give her the good news before flooding her with questions about the flower’s source.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re fine,” William assured her with a small hum. He grinned down at her, and much to her surprise planted a quick kiss on her forehead. Before Vanny had time to scold him, he spoke first. “Henry has invited us over to have dinner with him and Mary.”  Vanny blinked, still taken back by William’s sudden disregard for their rule, but nodded nonetheless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William reached out and pulled a single purple flower from her braids. He twirled it in his hand, then smiled fondly. “You look cute.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny rolled her eyes at the compliment and turned to make her way towards the back rooms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shush.” Was all she muttered before walking off to attend to her duties.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>The day went by in the blink of an eye, and like usual, Vanny bid farewell to the robots with a small smile and discreet wave before walking out the door with William. There was no need to go home and get changed. It was just dinner at Henry’s, after all. It wasn’t a fancy restaurant that expected its patrons to dress like they were attending a wedding. Henry had left shortly before Vanny and William had to prepare dinner. As much as Vanny liked the idea of spending some quality time with Henry away from work, the promise Mary’s presence was making her anxious. Vanny liked the woman; she had nothing against her at all, but the fact that Mary was going to be a permanent part of their lives from then on was a little concerning. Mary had given Vanny no reason to feel this way, but for the longest time, it had just been Henry, her and William. Mary’s appearance had worried William the most, but Vanny now realized that she had been harboring unpleasant thoughts and worries herself. She had managed to bury them until now, but it seemed that they were rearing their ugly faces all at once. Things were changing, it seemed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Life always brought change, and most of the time, Vanny despised the change. Even moving away from her hometown felt wrong and made her upset, despite the freedom she had gained from doing so. Vanny liked her life the way it currently was. She went into work with William almost every day, hung out with Henry, tended to the robots, had date nights… With Mary’s arrival, change was surely coming. Henry had already been around substantially less than he had been prior to meeting her, but now that the woman was having his child, Vanny knew that Henry’s absence would be far greater. She was happy for Henry, yes, but she feared what their lives would look like a couple of years from now. Would Henry drift away from them? Would Mary somehow break their friendship into pieces, intentionally or not? Time was going to tell, and Vanny was beginning to fear what the future held.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny and William didn’t exchange many words on the short drive to Henry’s house; the radio proved to be an excellent distraction from the potentially awkward get-together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny shifted in the passenger seat as she gazed out the window. Hurricane wasn’t much, but it was home. She knew nearly every face in town, and they all knew hers. Despite the rather dull scenery the town had to offer, Vanny was content with it. She had the freedom to leave whenever she pleased, after all. Spring Bonnie and Fredbear didn’t have the luxury of seeing the world and fleeing to whatever new state or town they pleased. They were property, as much as Vanny hated to think about that. The changing of songs on the radio caught her attention, and she glanced over at William as one of their favorite artists began to come through the speakers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William looked to her, sharing the same enthused smile that she did, yet somehow, even in the peaceful evening breeze that was pouring in from Vanny’s open window, she felt wrong.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something felt terribly off and unfamiliar. Unlike William, Vanny hadn’t ever had much trouble forging bonds with people, whether it was one-sided or not. Vanny was good at pretending to like people, just like William, but she didn’t mind making a few real friends here and there. She had left several good people behind in her hometown when she fled, and the guilt from barely giving them proper goodbye’s still weighed down on her from time to time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William seemed to be in high spirits judging by the smile plastered to his face, and Vanny did her best to take comfort in that. If William was calm, why wasn’t she?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something deep down began to stir inside of her, and she began to wonder if the cause of this strange feeling was Mary at all.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When they finally pulled into Henry’s driveway, the sight of Mary on the front porch was the first thing to greet them. Mary was a rather thin woman; she had big blue eyes, a pointed face and dark brown hair. Her weight was a little less than what was considered healthy, but the fast-approaching wonders of pregnancy promised to change that. Her nails were always done; painted and filed into perfect little points. Mary always wore her hair up, and most of the time walked around in one of her many sundresses. She was the polar opposite of Vanny.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny was a tomboy in every sense of the word, and Mary was the pretty, makeup covered doll.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She and Mary got along fine, but their shared interests were few and far between. Mary liked fashion and shopping while Vanny liked baggy clothes and the outdoors. Mary had soft, perfect hands with long, colorful nails. Vanny sported short black nails that she always failed to resist chewing on. Her hands were rougher than most women, but it didn’t bother her in the slightest. Vanny wasn’t what society deemed as an average woman, and that was completely fine by her standards. She was anything but ordinary; that was kind of her and William’s thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Building animatronics from the ground up wasn’t exactly a popular hobby, and Vanny’s keen interest in collecting bits of taxidermy definitely came off as creepy to most people.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <span>Vanny glanced over at William with an uncomfortable smile. They couldn’t sit in the car all night, but Vanny sort of wanted to. William gave her an awkward grin of his own and leaned over to kiss her cheek before making a move to get out of the car. He was the first one to step outside, and Vanny followed with a small shiver. The night air was colder than she had expected, and her legs were met with the freezing breeze as soon as she left the safety of the car. The smell of smoke was strong, and it made Vanny curl in on herself just a little. William was already heading up to the porch, so with an uncomfortable wince, Vanny shoved her hands into her hoodie pockets and followed in his shadow. The smell brought back unpleasant memories, and as they neared the porch, Mary snuffed out her cigarette on the white peeling banister. She offered them a wide, friendly smile and approached with open arms. The woman had always been a huggy person, much like Henry, but Vanny wasn’t in the mood to be touched by </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The smell from the cigarette had crushed any semblance of a good mood she’d had a few minutes prior. The smell of smoke intensified as Mary turned to her with the intent of giving her a hug. Vanny nervously clenched her hands as her entire body tensed. She mustered up a fake smile, and Mary pulled her into a foul, smoke saturated embrace. This was going to be a long night.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Paintings and Pizza</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Mary, hun, could you take that outside?” Henry asked in a gentle tone. Mary, who was sitting at the kitchen table right next to him, glanced up from the cigarette in her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah…” She muttered timidly. She didn’t hesitate to stand to her feet and flash Vanny a chipper, go-lucky smile. “You smoke, Ness?” She asked with a friendly nod down at her unlit cigarette. Vanny shook her head without hesitation, declining the invite to pollute her lungs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, thank you, though.” Vanny chirped, returning a kind smile in return. Mary shrugged and turned away from her empty dinner plate, making a beeline for the front door. As soon as she stepped out onto the porch and shut the door behind her, William turned to face Henry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s pregnant, and you’re letting her smoke?” The surprise was plain to see on his face, and Henry couldn’t help but flash him a weary yet sad smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t exactly stop her, you know.” The redheaded man sighed. Vanny tapped her fingers on the kitchen table with a worried glance between the two.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should try to talk her into quitting… at least until she’s not pregnant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vanny winced at her terrible wording, but Henry didn’t comment on it. He rolled his wrist and nodded dismissively; it was clear by his uncomfortable attitude towards the conversation that he felt the same, but ultimately knew it was a lost cause.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll be alright,” Henry tried to assure them with a hopeful smile. Vanny gave him one in return, but she didn’t know Mary well enough to be able to know if she’d truly have the willpower to put down her bad habits for a while. Surely for her own child, Mary would have the common sense and decency to quit… Vanny hoped so, at least. William was the second to stand from the dinner table, and unlike Mary, he grabbed his empty plate with the intentions of placing it in the kitchen sink. Despite Henry’s insistence that it wasn’t necessary and that William was his guest, William refused to make a mess of Henry’s house. Vanny followed suit, and Henry trailed behind the duo as they all marched to the kitchen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have you thought of any names?” Vanny asked suddenly as they slipped inside the small kitchen space. Henry seemed a little taken back by the question, and William glanced at her with a curious look before depositing his dirty plate into the mostly empty sink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vanny did the same, and turned back to Henry who still hadn’t replied; she was clearly waiting for a response. As Henry placed his own plate into the sink, he cleared his throat awkwardly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We haven’t really given that much thought. We don’t even know its gender yet, so…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vanny gave Henry a wide smile and snapped her fingers excitedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could name it Fredbear!” She beamed sarcastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It?” William questioned with a squint. Henry rolled his eyes and scoffed at the idea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want my child to be associated with an animatronic bear, no offense to Fredbear.” He muttered as he turned away to begin washing the dishes. There was a smaller table in the kitchen about half the size of the one they had just left in the dining room. It had a few chairs around it, and one glance at them was all the encouragement Vanny needed to take a seat. William did the same, and the three found themselves in high spirits as the kitchen sink filled with water and white, fluffy bubbles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could name her Bonnie if it’s a girl,” William offered with a smirk. Henry once again shook his head, dismissing the idea entirely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want people judging me for naming my child after one of our robots.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vanny let out a giggle, and William rolled his eyes as a soft scoff escaped him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fredbear </span>
  <em>
    <span>would </span>
  </em>
  <span>be a unique name, you know.” William continued. “I doubt he’d ever meet another kid with the same name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And with good reason.” Henry snickered as he placed one of the clean plates in the sink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vanny grinned ear to ear as they continued to tease each other, and whatever had her anxious earlier seemed to be fading away. Everything felt alright, and she did too.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the months went by, things slowly but surely began to change. Henry, due to Mary feeling ill, had been skipping work a lot more. It didn’t shove too much work on William and Vanny, but the change was definitely noticeable. William, much to Vanny’s surprise but relief, had calmed down over the situation. All seemed to be going well now, and no grudges had been held.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry was busy preparing for the arrival of his child, and that included converting his old guest room into a nursery. Vanny and William had offered to help, and the three found themselves hanging out in the child’s future bedroom after work most nights. Mary kept her distance from the room; she went on about how the fumes from the paint gave her horrible headaches, but Vanny and Will were glad to get some Henry time to themselves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room had been painted light shades of purple, since the baby’s gender wasn’t yet determined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mary had insisted on being surprised, so if that meant settling on purples instead of pinks or blues, that was alright. Henry left the designs up to Vanny; she had always had an artistic touch that he had lacked. Pink and white fluffy clouds had been painted on the walls, along with a pretty scene of a purple twilight. Little white stars glistened on the wall, thanks in part to the glitter she had put in the paint. It was a beautiful room, and it would prove big enough for the child to stay in their entire childhood. Vanny would have killed to have a room like this as a kid, but the tiny bedroom she had once lived in proved to be rather dull compared to the beautiful space they were creating for Henry’s child. Glow in the dark stars were plastered to both the walls and ceiling, and a baby crib had already been situated in one corner of the room. There were two windows in the space, and Vanny had made curtains for  them with that purple starry fabric she had grown to love. She had a lot of material left over from making the curtains at Fredbear’s, and since they matched the color of the room, she had taken advantage of it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The baby crib was nothing special; just white wooden bars and a soft inside, already filled with a few teddy bears and lined with a few small blankets. They were smooth and donned a pattern of dark blue skies speckled with yellow cartoon stars. There was an ever-present theme of skies and stars littered throughout the room, and although it wasn’t initially intentional, it all pulled the room together. The walls weren’t going to be painted with something childish, but it would surely be pleasant to look at for children. The walls would never have to be redone due to the child growing up, seeing as there was nothing infantile about stars or the sky. Vanny eyed her handiwork on one of the last clouds she needed to finish, and after one thin coat of glitter paint, she pulled away with a satisfied smile. Henry and William were in the kitchen chatting, and as she sat in the orange glow of the sunset, she felt completely at ease. The sunlight bled in from the open window, and the scent of freshly cut grass filled the room. It was a welcome distraction from the smell of paint. She stood, stretched her sore legs, then retired her dirty paintbrush onto a small piece of blue tarp on the floor. Vanny made her way into the kitchen and greeted the two men with a tired but content beam. Mary wasn’t home tonight; she had gone out of town to see her parents, leaving the trio to their own devices. A box of fresh pizza sat on the kitchen table, untouched and still scolding. Vanny glanced at it with interest, then looked to Henry with a curious expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you plan to share or have we overstayed our welcome?” She asked in a playful manner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I ordered it for all of us,” Henry chuckled as he tapped his fingers on the top of the cardboard box. It wasn’t from Fredbear’s; they didn’t deliver, anyway. There was some chef mascot on the front of the box, grinning wide as he twirled his cartoon mustache. Vanny was thankful that she wouldn’t have to eat their own pizza outside of work hours; it had gotten rather old throughout the years. Something new sounded amazing, even if it was just the exact same food from a different restaurant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to your diet?” Vanny asked  as she sat down next to Henry. The man gave a sheepish smile, waved his hand dismissively, then opened up the box of pizza.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grease had already managed to stain the cardboard, promising regret for whoever consumed the oil soaked disgrace. Diets were easier said and done, and Vanny knew that from experience. Even though she wasn’t currently on one, the pizza promised her nothing but regret and shame. She would take what there was, though. Vanny wasn’t above eating junk every now and then; she sold it for a living, after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least you’re already prepared for a kid,” Vanny commented with an impish grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry gave her a confused glance as he fished a piece of pizza from the box, waiting for her to explain. William knew where it was going if his wide smile was an indicator, but he didn’t spoil the joke. Vanny grabbed a slice for herself, then leaned back comfortably in her chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re already rocking the dad bod.” Vanny finally muttered with a mouthful of pizza.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry, like the good natured soul he was, simply rolled his eyes and laughed it off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d never been thin, but he wasn’t too overweight, either. He had always been comfortable with himself, though. It was something that Vanny dreamed she could one day achieve. Lately, due to both stress from his fast approaching fatherhood and getting everything figured out for said child, Henry had been doing a lot of stress eating, and it showed. William seemed to be getting more of a kick out of the joke than Vanny herself, so Henry directed his attention towards him with a mischievous look. Vanny grinned wide, preparing for whatever insult he was going to throw William’s way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You won’t always be thin either, William.” Henry teased. William shrugged and opened his mouth to shoot some clever reply right back, but Henry cut him off before he had the chance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll gain a bit of weight once you become a dad, too.” Henry finished. Vanny’s heart sank and she paused her chewing to turn her attention to William, who was now choking on the food he had been in the middle of swallowing. It was Henry’s turn to laugh, but the best Vanny could do in return was offer an awkward little smile. As William recovered from choking half to death, Vanny relaxed when Henry changed the topic to something a little more comfortable. As she half heartedly chewed on her pizza slice, however, she felt that odd feeling creeping back up on her. Her stomach felt odd, and her heart was beating much too fast. She pushed the feeling away as best she could, but as the night carried on, it continued to slowly creep back in. The initial shock from the prospect of Vanny and William having children quickly died away, but a new question lingered in Vanny’s mind as the night carried on. Did William want children?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Stand a While</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Vanny tapped her fingers on the kitchen counter with a thoughtful little hum. It was late morning, but even on her day off, the urge to go into work still lingered. Work itself wasn’t what made her miss the diner, but the last couple of days had been lonely. Fredbear and Spring Bonnie were always good company, even if they weren’t human. William and Henry had been spending some ‘guy time’ together, even though Vanny wouldn’t have minded the activities that they were doing. She was invited but ultimately felt that Will and Henry deserved some time one on one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was nothing to be upset over, but Vanny felt like she was missing out. Mary was nearly due, just a few months off, now. The freedom Henry had was slowly ticking away. His life would soon be filled with squeals and gibberish; formula and teddy bears… Henry was really going to be a father, and it still felt weird for Vanny to think about it. Just a few years ago, the mere thought of families and settling down would have made her nervously chuckle and change the topic as quickly as she could, but now it was an odd and scary reality. Henry would be getting married in the fall, and Vanny had agreed to help plan the union. She and Mary didn’t see eye to eye on decorations much, but Henry still wanted her help with picking out some of the little details. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Decorating a wedding is a lot different than decorating a diner, Henry.” Vanny had tried to reason with him after her and Mary’s fourth disagreement. Vanny wasn’t arguing with her, it wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>her </span>
  </em>
  <span>wedding, after all, but she and Mary had different tastes. Vanny liked chocolate, and Mary was very very…. vanilla. Mary was an avid fan of pinks and whites, while Vanny migrated towards purples and pinks, though her taste in pink was a little lighter than Mary’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Well</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Mary had begun as she flipped through a catalog of bridesmaid dresses, “You can pick purple for </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> bridesmaids.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny had been taken back, bewildered, and flustered. There had never been talk of marriage between her and William, and Henry and Mary were already planning a wedding. Henry was jumping right into this, but Vanny knew if the baby wasn’t in the equation, he wouldn’t be so insistent of marriage or moving in together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That baby was going to be a blessing and a curse.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny sucked in a small breath and turned her attention back to the present, staring down at the already clean kitchen counter. She had busied herself with household tasks like cleaning every room and washing literally every article of dirty clothing in the house. She could give in to her loneliness and head into work, but she knew that if she didn’t spend her days off doing something outside of the diner when she had to return it would drive her insane. There was only so much pizza and squealing that one adult could take. Vanny didn’t have many close friends outside of Henry, but she didn’t feel the need to force herself into being a social butterfly. She had friends, yes, but she didn’t see them often, and she didn’t feel the need to, either. Few women shared her interests, and she didn’t know anyone that she would truly be comfortable being alone with. Scavenging the woods for bones sounded like fun, but she had just done that yesterday with no luck. William had never judged her for her strange hobbies, unlike her family, and that was one of the reasons she had clung to him so much as a child. Poking dead frogs with sticks and inspecting dead birds was common ground for them, even if it grossed Henry out. Mary was a nice woman, but Vanny didn’t feel like partaking in her company today. She had been around Mary a lot as of late, and another day away from everyone sounded both wonderful and terribly lonely. William had left earlier this morning, and Vanny had wandered about the house, searching for something to do. Sewing was a tempting activity, but she had no idea </span>
  <em>
    <span>what </span>
  </em>
  <span>to sew. One glance over at her sewing machine made Vanny shove the idea away for a brief moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Television sounded tempting, but if she wasted the entire day doing nothing, she would regret it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After another small intake of the fresh air flooding in through the open kitchen window, Vanny perked up. Maybe there was something to sew together, afterall. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny walked down the hallway into her and William’s bedroom with a slight bounce in her step.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She knew exactly where the sketchbook had been placed, and it took her no time at all to fish it from the small bookshelf she called her own. The front of it was littered with stickers of Fredbear and Spring Bonnie, and it made her smile fondly. She had taken some of them from the prize corner right after they opened several years ago. The cartoony bear and rabbit wore wide grins and sported huge, starry eyes. They were colorful and glossy, and they made Vanny smile ear to ear. She had initially designed the stickers, and even though they had a company produce them, she had still drawn up the cartoony designs. Vanny settled down on the floor with a small huff, leaning her back against her and Will’s bed. The pages were filled with her drawings, ranging from cartoony sketches to more realistic designs for sewing or animatronic concepts. She flipped through the scrapped ideas with a fond smile, recalling the day she drew them with perfect clarity. There was a chicken, a fox, a rabbit, and a doll that simply hadn’t made the cut.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Henry and William had selected the designs that had become Fredbear and Spring Bonnie, leaving the others stuck to the confines of Vanny’s sketchbook. The rabbit that had been left in the dust was one of her favorite designs, but William and Henry had only felt the need for two robots, and so the spotted bunny had been left behind. Vanny’s fingers gently brushed across the pencil marks, smudging it ever so slightly. The rabbit on the page grinned at her, showing off a pair of buck teeth, much like Spring Bonnie sported, albeit smaller.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rabbit’s fur was a beautiful white with a few brown spots here and there. When they were coming up with possible mascots for Fredbear’s, Vanny had been fairly insistent on at least three characters being on stage. William and Henry had been hesitant, mostly out of concern that too much time and money would be spent on the robots before they knew if Fredbear’s would be a success, and so only two of Vanny’s creations had been selected to be brought to life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Some modifications had been made, but they were still Vanny’s vision. The robot’s outfits were supposed to be far more complex, but due to employees clambering in and out of them frequently after cranking them into suit mode, they had kept it simple. A bowtie was picked out for the duo, and tophat was decided for Fredbear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t the complex vests and capes that Vanny had sketched up to begin with, but the bots seemed content and happy. Could they even be sad? Vanny briefly wondered how far their artificial emotions went; they had amazing memory and people skills, but she had her doubts that they could truly feel emotions the same way that humans did. She shoved the thought away, and returned her focus back to the little doe in her sketchbook. The rabbit drawing had long eyelashes and a friendly little smile, a pointed chin, and fluffy cheeks. Vanny wondered if Will and Henry would be willing to ever add a third animatronic to the restaurant, but that would be a question for a calmer time. Everyone was stressed about the baby and the wedding, so bringing up a robot seemed selfish and pointless. Offering up the idea of bringing the doe to life would be saved for another day, but Vanny was only reliant on Henry and William for the robotics. She knew how they worked well enough, but she wasn’t as skilled as them. There was no possible way she could build an animatronic from the ground up, but making the suits that kept their inner parts hidden was something she </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> able to do. She had the materials and nothing to do for the rest of the day. Vanny stared at the illustration a moment longer before pulling herself to her feet. The woman padded out of the bedroom, still clutching the sketchbook in her hands. After making her way to the living room, Vanny sat her book down on the small wooden table in the corner of the room. A tall window was right next to the table, allowing her to peer into the side of the yard while she worked. Her sewing machine was waiting for her, and so was her unnamed doe… Jane Doe. Vanny rolled her eyes and turned to make her way back into the bedroom, intending to fish her fabrics out of the bedroom closet where she stored them. After losing a good portion of them to some mice, Vanny had started storing them in plastic tubs. Even after the loss of materials, William had refused to let her get a cat, but the woman still held out the hope that one day a stray would wander into her life. William already had a hard time saying no to her, so if she gave him a pleading expression with a cat in her arms, he would cave. Vanny grabbed a few tubs and drug them out into the living room. She would have enough for the head at the very least, and she and Will had more than enough money for more fabric if she needed it. William was happy to indulge her in her hobbies, especially since they complimented his own.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hours seemed like minutes as she slaved over her craft, carefully stitching the fabric together in just the right way; hiding the stitchwork under the fluffy white fur. Masks were hard to pull together, but Vanny had made plenty of them in her lifetime. It was a hobby as a child, making and selling them to the neighborhood kids around Halloween, and it was a useful skill to have now, especially when her business relied so heavily on them. Vanny had made several alterations along the way, modifying the face shape to make it different than Spring Bonnie’s. This was a doe, not a buck. Vanny didn’t want to make this rabbit look too feminine, but she wanted to make this new character just a bit sleeker, a little more slender, and give her a somewhat feminine appearance. The evening went by fairly quickly; Vanny always lost track of time when she was at that little table that she called her own. William would be getting home soon, and he would be interested in whatever she was making, she was sure.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The mask was nowhere near being complete, but it was coming together, even if it was still in the beginning stages. It was clear by the shape of it that the mask was supposed to be a rabbit. The head was void of fur and life, but Vanny was determined to see this odd little doe through. Even if William and Henry didn’t want to make another animatronic, she could perhaps persuade them to add the new character in somehow. Whether she was simply a suit or appeared in merchandise, Vanny didn’t mind. It was a surreal and unique experience to see the process of bringing these things to life; from paper to robotics, the transition always amazed her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If it weren’t for Will and Henry, though, she knew that her imagination would be stuck to the confines of her sketchbook; brought to life only by pencil strokes and nothing more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William and Henry had brought Fredbear and Spring Bonnie to life, and their vision would be remembered by children for years, and those children would tell their own about the mechanical animals and summers cooped up in the arcade rooms. Vanny didn’t know what the future held, but Fredbear’s was one of a kind. That entire building was a living dream. Vanny and Will didn’t have to worry about finances; the diner was a complete success, and they were accepted and loved in the community. Unlike her hometown where she was a pathetic nobody, people knew her here. Hurricane was small, it was cosy, and it was home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone knew everyone, and smiles met the woman wherever she went. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fredbear’s was a place where kids went to get away from the stress of school and day to day life, and Vanny found herself smiling every time that thought came to her mind. Her own childhood, just like Will’s, wasn’t the best. The fact that she was able to create pleasant memories for other kids brought her comfort. Vanny clutched the mask in her hands just a little tighter, and as the front door opened, she set it aside, standing to meet William at the door with a dopey grin. <br/></span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>“It’s gonna be fine, Henry,” William assured the man who was currently sweating bullets. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mary’s going to be alright,” Will was saying, but Henry was sucking in panicked, shaky breaths.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny was sitting right next to Henry, rubbing his back in a soothing manner. She hadn’t been to a hospital in years, but the sights and smells were uncomfortably familiar to her. The smell that all hospitals shared made her shiver in disgust, but she wasn’t going to leave Henry; not now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was stressed, and Vanny knew that he needed both her and William at his side. He was about to become a father, and that fact alone was scaring him half to death.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Henry wanted to be in there with Mary, holding her hand and sticking by her side through thick and thin. Where was he instead? Hiding out in the waiting room like a coward. Vanny was clearly uncomfortable for several reasons, but coaxing Henry to go back to Mary was what she was focused on. There was nothing left in his stomach to dispel, anyway. He had already let his nerves and anxiety get the better of him, and his dinner had been flushed down the toilet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Henry…” Vanny whispered in a soft, compelling tone. The dishevelled man turned to her with tears in his eyes. He always was sensitive, and it was clear by the way he was shaking that he was petrified. Vanny couldn’t blame him, but the fact that he wasn’t in there with Mary was stressing her out more than it should have. That woman was probably scared out of her mind, surrounded by strangers and not the one person she needed most. No; Henry was outside, shaking in the hallway and battling his nerves. Anxious or not, he needed to be there, and Vanny was determined to get him in there. They shouldn’t have even been here, really, but Henry and Mary had been at their house when the woman’s water had broke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William took over rubbing soothing circles into the bigger man’s back with a concerned little wince plastered to his face. Vanny swallowed down the gathering spit in her mouth and sucked in an unsteady breath. She never expected to be in this position, but life was a series of unexpected surprises, both pleasant and terrible. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You need to go back in,” Vanny continued with a pleading look in her eyes. Henry wasn’t denying that, but he had nearly fainted when he was in there before. How could he look that woman in the eyes as she went through hell and back? He had done this to her, and even though there was no real divide between the two, Henry felt guilt and shame.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know,” Henry hissed out. Vanny firmly grabbed a hold of his clammy hands and gave him a little nod. A small smile formed on her face; it was meant to be assuring.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You need to go to her,” Vanny said in a small voice, despite the urgency in her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… know.” Henry muttered as he sucked in another breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So go.” Vanny replied with a gentle squeeze of his much bigger hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re going to be out here waiting.” She assured him with an honest smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Henry sniffled before wiping his eyes. He knew that they would stay if he wanted, but it was already late. One glance at a nearby clock on the wall let him know that keeping them around any longer would have been selfish, even if they didn’t feel it was. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>2:32 AM. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Both Vanny and Will looked exhausted, and if Henry were to look in the mirror, he knew he’d be faced with the sight of someone much more run down and disheveled than them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you two should head home.” Henry sighed as he stood, slipping his hands from Vanny’s grasp. Will looked to him with a searching expression; unsure if Henry was truly alright.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s late,” Henry pointed out as his gaze met William’s. “We’ll call you in the morning… Alright?” Henry murmured.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny stood slowly, exhausted and worn out from the entire ordeal. She couldn’t imagine what Mary was feeling. Henry took a step closer to Will with open arms, and pulled him into a firm yet gentle embrace. William didn’t hesitate to hug back, and as his long, slender arms wrapped around Henry, the redheaded man relaxed ever so slightly. The contact was pleasant and welcome, and Henry’s anxiety quelled ever so slightly. He still felt sick, and his legs still shook as he stood, but the hug brought some sense of security. Things were scary, and there was nothing that William could do to change that, but he was going to be here for Henry, and Henry knew that. Keeping them here any longer would be selfish, Henry still felt. As the two men pulled away, Henry gathered himself and nodded. He was going to go back to Mary, nausea or not.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Vanny walked slowly down the halls, holding onto William’s hand as the overwhelming quiet of the hospital floor sunk in. It was dimly lit, eerie, and it made Vanny’s skin crawl. The smells of chemicals and medicine were going to be stuck in her nose, and she silently assured herself that she’d shower when she got home to rid herself of the stench. She was already exhausted, though. Whether or not she’d actually shower wasn’t set in stone, but the ache in her legs made her lean towards the possibility of holding off on it until morning. If she waited, she’d have to wash the sheets to rid it of the smell of the hospital. Vanny was pulled from her thoughts as William gripped onto her smaller hand just a little tighter. She wasn’t the one having a child; she wasn’t throwing up in foreign bathrooms and nearly passing out in the dead of night. Why was she so concerned over the smell of this place when there were bigger things to worry about? Vanny shivered as they rounded another corner and neared the exit of this damned maze of horrid sights and sounds. The hospital didn’t seem to have anywhere that was comforting. Rooms were either much too bright or just a bit too dim; they either stank of medicine or were ice cold.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny hated hospitals, and everything in her was telling her to bolt. Run. She needed to-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you alright?” Came William’s ever-soft, gentle question. Vanny’s shoulders dropped and she relaxed to a degree. She hadn’t even realized how tense she had gotten, but William clearly had. Vanny cleared her throat and nodded before searching for something to busy her free hand with. Her cold fingers found their way to her hair, and she tucked a long strand of it behind her ear. Will knew that she was uncomfortable; the last time she had been in a hospital was a horrid memory to put it lightly. She hadn’t been fond of hospitals before that incident, and she had grown to somewhat fear them after. Nightmares plagued her of doctors with wide grins, sharp teeth, and odd medical devices that defied logical explanation and thought. They had machines that kept the dead from dying, needles with multiple spikes jutting out from the side... Colorful liquids sloshed around in their syringes, offering wonderful results for horrible prices.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny began walking a little faster, and William followed her. He knew she just wanted to get out of her and go home, and he honestly didn’t blame her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as Vanny pushed her way outside into the cool air, her heart began to calm. She still felt jittery and anxious, but they were outside, now. Nobody was going to hurt her, and she knew that, but she didn’t want to spend any more time here. Vanny held onto William’s hand as she drug him to their car. It stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the duller paint jobs, but it definitely made spotting it in packed places a whole hell of a lot easier. The purple paint job glistened under the artificial light from the lamps looming above the parking lot, casting an eerie yellow tint onto the pavement and everything below. William’s fingers slipped from Vanny’s as they seperated to get into their car. Vanny crawled into the passenger seat with a tired little huff, and William got into the driver’s seat with a sympathetic glance in her direction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you hungry?” Will asked as he started the car. Vanny shook her head, declining the offer to get greasy food from whatever run down restaurant was open at this ungodly hour. She just wanted to go home and sleep; nothing more, and nothing less. Will nodded and placed his hands on the steering wheel. The entire night felt odd and unreal, almost as if he had been watching it from behind the safety of a TV screen. He had practically been on autopilot; acting before putting much thought into anything. That’s how he always was; when things went too fast or frightened him, he would act in the moment. Vanny was usually the opposite; she would ponder what to do and think through her options carefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just want to go home and sleep,” Vanny muttered from where she sat, gazing out the fogged window she was resting her head against.. William kept his eyes ahead of him as he pulled out of the parking lot and began making his way home. He muttered a soft, small, “Alright,” before allowing silence to fill the small space. Unlike the silence in the hospital, however, this silence was calming and peaceful, and it lulled Vanny to sleep.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>No dreams came to Vanny, surprisingly. No nightmares or odd, nonsensical dreams occured; not even something so forgettable that it would fade from memory a matter of moments after waking. When she stirred from her sleep, they were already in the driveway of their cozy little home. The trees were blowing harshly in the wind, and it was evident that the lingering storm clouds were finally rolling in. Vanny groggily shifted in her seat and caught sight of William coming around to her side of the car, walking quickly in an attempt to get inside before the rain began. The sound of his door closing must have been what woke her. As soon as William pulled her door open, Vanny was assaulted with a harsh, cold wind that made her shiver. She was still groggy, but a little more alert now after the rude awakening from the cold air. Warm arms wrapped around her, and Vanny leaned forward to cling to William’s chest as he pulled her out of the car. The woman’s arms wrapped around his neck, and his arms stretched around her back, pulling her close and secure against his chest. Vanny felt secure, she felt safe, and despite the approaching storms, she knew all would be well. Vanny clung to William as he shut the car door with his foot, then began heading up to the house hurriedly. Vanny was light, so the man had no issue carrying her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can walk,” She muttered into his ear with a sleepy grin. William didn’t reply, but she could see him smiling back out of the corner of her eye. As soon as they entered the house, Vanny peeled herself away from his chest and wiggled a little, silently demanding to be put down. William obliged, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, Vanny stretched her legs out. That shower wasn’t happening. Even with the brief nap on the way home, she was still much too exhausted to even dream of standing long enough to shower. William hung up his coat on the coat rack, kicked his shoes off, and then turned back to Vanny, scooping her up bridal style despite her wishes to be allowed to walk herself. She was too tired to protest, and much too lazy to actually resist. William carried her to the hallway, then pushed his way into the bathroom. Vanny perked up a little in confusion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will,” She groaned out. “I want to go to bed,” William sat her down on the bathroom counter and rolled his eyes. He knew just as well as she did that they both reeked of the hospital, and he was well aware that she detested the smell even more than he did. William slipped his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor without a care. Vanny eyed his chest for a brief moment before he turned away to turn on the shower.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not waiting for you to shower, Will.” The woman huffed as she pressed her back against the wall. She was barely staying awake as it was. She wasn’t going to be able to remain awake long enough to shower herself, let alone have William take one before her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nobody said you have to wait,” The man hummed as he approached her, wearing a happy yet exhausted smile. He reached out and grabbed ahold of her hoodie, grasping at the zipper without hesitation. William slowly unzipped it, and Vanny wiggled out of it, letting it fall onto the counter. She gave him a content beam, and made a move to slip her shirt off. William turned away and yawned, letting Vanny toss her clothes to the floor on top of his own. The woman slipped off of the counter, and as her bare feet met the cold bathroom floor, she shivered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The steam from the shower felt nice, though, and she followed after William with a tired sigh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The water was warm and pleasant, and it soothed Vanny’s nerves just a little. The sound of a popping cap caught her attention, and she didn’t resist as a glob of mango shampoo found its way to the top of her head. William’s fingers ran through her hair,  lathering the soap in gently as the scent of the artificial fruit filled the small space. Vanny leaned against him and closed her eyes, tired, yet content as she found the energy to stand for just a little bit longer.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Bunny</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Cold fingers tangled in his hair, rousing him from his slumber. William initially protested with a little grunt as he tilted his head away, but the fingers persisted. Nails gently traced over his scalp, and despite the feeling being pleasant, he tried to rid his head of the nuisance that was pulling him from sleep. The touches persisted, however, and William eventually gave up his attempts to pull away. The warmth of sunlight became increasingly more noticeable, and William rolled away from it as he grew a little too warm for his liking. The offending fingers retreated and shied away, allowing the man to roll onto his back to the side of the bed void of sunlight. Their owner clambered onto his chest, and Vanny relaxed on top of the groggy man with a small hum. She was tired, but clearly more awake than William. The phone had been silent all morning, and Vanny hadn’t been able to get back to sleep for the past hour or so, but she hadn’t meant to wake William. His hair always curled after he slept, and she couldn’t resist playing with it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His hair was a mess of dark brown curls, just a bit too long for his liking, but Vanny adored it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She continued to run her fingers through his hair as she lazed about on his chest, and eventually, he opened his eyes to stare up at her. She offered him a tired smile, and he gave her one in return. Everything was still in the bedroom, and the sounds of birds filled the space, pouring in from the open window nearby. Their blanket had been lost to the floor at some point in the night, but it hadn’t been cold enough to retrieve it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Neither of them spoke for a while. Vanny continued to curl and stroke William’s hair, and he allowed it as he willed himself to stay awake. His eyelids were heavy and he was tired, but he couldn’t sleep in. Henry would be calling soon, and there was breakfast to be had before heading to the hospital. Vanny leaned forward and planted a small, gentle kiss on his forehead. With a pleased hum, William began to sit up and wrap his arms around Vanny’s back, both to prevent her from falling and to hug her close. Vanny, ever the eager, cuddly little thing, nuzzled into his neck almost instantaneously. William was warm, and his skin was soft. He’d worn only a thin pair of pajama pants to bed, and Vanny had thoroughly enjoyed the warmth of his skin against her own. Mornings like this seemed almost otherworldly; when they found themselves tucked away in their bedroom, far from the noise of town or the humming of robotic parts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The mornings were for them, and they were for each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mornings ended, though, and so did their snuggling. William was the one to bring the serene moment to an abrupt end when he moved to slip off of the bed, still clutching Vanny in his arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The woman made a small noise in protest, but William didn’t give in. Today wasn’t one that could be cuddled away; Henry would be beckoning them back to the hospital soon, and they would meet both of his children. The fact that Mary was having twins still hadn’t quite sunk in yet, but they’d soon meet both of the little Henry’s. Their genders were to be a surprise, but Vanny was hoping for boys. She and William had already offered their services of watching the kids whenever Henry and Mary needed a break, and Vanny had always been better around boys. She had nothing against girls, but being forced into playing with dolls seemed a little duller when compared to frog hunting and bug catching. Vanny was getting ahead of herself, though. The twins had just been born last night, and they wouldn’t be able to partake in many fun activities until they got older. She’d always been told that babies grew up much too fast and that both excited and saddened her. Vany wrapped her arms around Will’s neck as he stood. He briefly raised himself to stand on his toes, effectively stretching his legs, then padded through the bedroom and into the hallway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you gonna make breakfast, or am I?” He asked in a gentle voice. Vanny hugged him a little tighter, not quite yet ready to be sat down. William leaned against the kitchen counter and yawned before sitting Vanny on the surface so gently that it made her feel as if she were glass; fragile and delicate. That wasn’t the case, though, and both of them knew it. Vanny refused to release her hold on him and leaned forward, burying her face back into his neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can make waffles,” She offered in a croaky voice. She despised the way she sounded in the morning, but she hated the way she looked just a little bit more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William’s hands ran down her back and over the grey tank top clinging to her cool skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anything’s fine, dear.” He assured her as he leaned in just a bit closer, indulging her need to cling to him for just a moment more. He adored snuggling against her just as much as she adored clinging to him, but they needed to get ready. Fredbear’s would be fine without them for today; the employees were responsible people that William trusted, and he knew that the little diner was going to be alright. William pulled away from Vanny, detangling her arms from where they were wrapped around him. She didn’t protest this time around and leaned back, allowing him to free himself from her grasp. William took a small step back and popped his back, failing to rid the discomfort that lingered from sleeping wrong. Vanny leaned against the wall with a small huff. She closed her eyes, still groggy and slow despite her inability to sleep. This day felt so far from reality. Today they would stare down at Henry’s children, and from this day on, things would be so very different. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you think they’re doing well?” Vanny asked, eyes still closed as she sat atop the counter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She heard the fridge open, and she listened to the hum of it in the brief silence. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think we would have gotten a call if they weren’t,” William pointed out as he pulled a box of waffles from the fridge. Vanny opened her eyes hesitantly and looked over at him, too tired to do much else than tilt her head in his general direction. She knew he was right, but the entire situation still seemed scary. What had happened once they left? Was Henry able to stay in there and hold Mary’s hand through it all? Were the babies alright? What were their names? Did they have names yet? Bear and Bunny were what Vanny had been calling the unnamed twins for a while now, and she still jokingly suggested Fredbear and Spring Bonnie as names from time to time. What were their genders? Did they have hair? Were they healthy? Mary had been smoking for a while during the pregnancy… Vanny gripped at her pajama pants gently, balling them up in her cold palms. William was fishing fruit and syrup from the fridge, and she knew that he had decided to make breakfast himself. Whether it was due to her obvious drowsiness, she wasn’t sure. She wasn’t complaining, though. William looked content and happy, and that was all Vanny could ask for. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did Henry tell you any possible baby names?” Vanny prodded in a small voice. William glanced over at her as he walked to the toaster with the box of waffles in his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If I knew, you would too,” He replied before ripping into the box containing their breakfast.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny looked down at the kitchen floor for a moment, attempting to force herself to stay awake. The glistening tiles were a pretty sight to see in the morning’s soft beams, but their beauty didn’t captivate her for long. It was just an old floor, she reminded herself with a weak huff.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William had his back turned to her, focusing entirely on his mission of preparing the waffles. It was a daunting task, for sure. Vanny couldn’t help but smile at the way William’s hair stuck up in odd directions in the morning. He was overdue for a haircut, but so was she. Slowly, Vanny reached a hand up to run her fingers through her own tangled mess of curls. Her hair wasn’t too curly, but it got a little wavy when it dried. It was soft and still smelled of mango, and that brought a small smile to her lips. Life here was calm; there were no kids screaming, no stress from the robots breaking down… They were home, and it was a special place just for the two of them. Their mornings were spent cuddling and basking in the sunlight, and the nights were spent dancing in the moonlight… whenever William was feeling up for it, anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it weird that they haven’t picked a name yet?” Vanny asked, genuine curiosity overtaking her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William paused, shrugged, then glanced over his shoulder at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You haven’t named Jane yet.” He murmured with a playful little chuckle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not a child,” Vanny retorted. “Naming characters is hard,” She muttered in defense of herself. William pulled the still-hot waffles from the toaster and placed them onto a plate, then turned to head back to the table as Vanny began to slide down off the counter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And naming a child is easy?” He shot back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t know.” The woman admitted as she took her seat at the kitchen table. Her eyes locked onto the containers of fruit that Will had set out, then reached for the one containing bright red strawberries without hesitation. William handed her a fork, then sat across from her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They ate, and eagerly, yet anxiously, awaited the ring of their phone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>William walked right beside Vanny, slowly but surely approaching the room where Henry awaited them. Anxiety had given way to excitement on the drive over, and Will couldn’t help the butterflies in his stomach upon seeing Vanny’s higher spirits. She was adorable, to put it in a singular word. Her green flannel hung loosely around her body, reaching down past her waist. It was obviously made for a man, but Vanny wore it often. She had a lot of clothes intended for men and thought little of it. They were comfortable, and she enjoyed stealing them from Will from time to time. The flannel she wore now was once William’s, but she wore it more than he ever did. He found it cute, but her choice in clothing was something that gained her a lot of negative attention back in Fairfield. She didn’t fit the mold that her family wanted her to, but she had never been too concerned with the town’s gossip over her. She was a child, and she was more concerned with toads and mud puddles than how her parent’s friends viewed her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William briefly wondered if she had been a girly girl if they would be here right now, hand in hand as they marched forward into the next big change in their lives. Would they still have met somewhere down the line if it weren’t for her complete and utter disregard for her parent’s idea of what a ‘good daughter’ was? The thought of any other present than this one made William uncomfortable, so he pushed the thought away entirely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Idaho was in the past, and William was content with leaving it there.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A few nurses crossed their path on their way to the hospital room, but Vanny seemed to be more composed than the night prior. She still hated this place, yes, but the promise of seeing Henry’s children was enough to drown it out for a while. William’s hand was warm, wrapped around her smaller, colder one. Vanessa felt content, calm, and judging by the look in her eye, she was more than excited to finally quench her burning curiosity. Henry came into view as they rounded another corner. He stood out in the hall, his hair slightly messy and unkempt, and a tired look in his eyes. William wondered how late he and Mary had stayed up as they finally reached him. Henry’s lips curled into a smile as soon as he caught sight of the two, and he opened his arms wide for a hug. Both of them were promptly squished against his chest in a tight embrace. Vanny rested her head on Henry’s chest as she hugged back. She was always a huggy person. William briefly wondered how he had managed to run off to Hurricane with the two biggest huggers he knew. Had he left anyone even mildly affectionate back home? As soon as the hug came to an end and Henry pulled away, Vanny was eyeing the door behind him with enthusiasm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How’s Bunny and Bear?” She questioned as she stood to the tips of her toes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why don’t you come and see for yourself?” Henry chirped with a smile. The redhead turned and pushed the wooden door open, then walked inside the room. William and Vanny followed in silence, not wanting to be too loud for the babies and at a true loss of what to say.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny’s eyes glued onto Mary, lying in the hospital bed, and the small things cradled in her arms. The idea of twins still seemed outlandish, but there they were. Vanny approached in awe, staring down at the babies in Mary’s arms. One wore a pink hat on her head, and the other had a blue one. They looked practically identical, so Vanny had a feeling that the hats were for more than just looks. Mary smiled up at her visitors with a calm expression. She looked exhausted but pleased. Vanny stared down at the baby with the pink cap right below her. The child’s eyes were shut, and her little chest rose and fell slowly as she drew gentle breaths.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you want to hold her?” Mary offered in a whisper. Vanny blinked, clearly taken back by the sudden offer. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it, giving a quick nod instead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mary shifted a little, and Vanny reached out to take the sleeping child. Vanny brought the baby to her chest with wide eyes and stared down at the girl. Her nose was a tiny little button, her lips were pink and small… Vanny looked over to William who was now cradling the boy in his arms. The man smiled at her, then looked back down to the baby sleeping against his chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are their names?” Will asked in a soft, barely audible voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Charlotte and Samuel,” Henry answered in a low voice from where he stood at the end of the hospital bed. William took a seat in one of the empty chairs close by.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Charlie and Sammy.” Mary chimed in with a proud hum. Vanny looked back down at Charlie with a fond smile. The child was tiny and practically motionless, and she seemed so fragile in Vanny’s arms. This was Henry’s daughter she was cradling. This didn’t feel real, yet the baby in her arms assured her that, yes, it was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny swayed in place without realizing it, staring down at the child with wonder in her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William and Henry were talking about something, but she didn’t pay attention to them. Her focus was entirely on Charlie, and she couldn’t shake the genuine smile on her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello, Bunny,” Vanny muttered quietly.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Novels and Nuisances</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Will they need any extra formula?” Vanny asked in a hurried voice as she struggled to keep the phone against her ear. Her hair was still a mess and she would have liked to get a shower in before heading over to Henry’s, but her broken alarm clock had prevented her from squeezing a shower into her morning rush. Mary and Henry were going out of town for the night for something about Mary’s parents; Vanny hadn’t really pried for details. William was busy at Fredbear’s, and Vanny had been kind enough to offer her services of watching Charlie and Sammy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We have plenty here,” Henry assured her from the other end of the phone. He seemed calmer about the situation than she did, but he wasn’t the one running late… yet. But, if Vanny didn’t hurry, he would be. Despite the fact that they were now almost four months old, Vanny had never actually been taken up on her offer to babysit. Mary had been very clingy with the children, but who could blame her? She wanted to keep her kids close, but having one baby would be draining enough. Having two proved to be a little more than she had bargained for. This would be the first time that Mary had left them with anyone overnight, but both she and Henry trusted Vanny wholeheartedly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You sound like you just woke up,” Henry commented, and by the tone of his voice, Vanny could picture the smile on his face. He wasn’t concerned; merely amused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Vanny muttered back as she grabbed her small purse from the back of one of the kitchen chairs. Breakfast wasn’t a requirement. She could steal something from Henry’s fridge, she decided as she scrambled to slide her flannel on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be there in ten,” She assured him before rushing back over to the wall and hanging the phone up. She had to wiggle out of the cord that had tangled around her, and then she was darting into the bathroom to hurriedly brush her hair. The babies wouldn’t care how frizzy and tangled it was, but Vanny refused to show up looking like she had rushed to get there, despite the fact that both Mary and Henry knew that she had. Vanny ran a small purple brush through her hair frantically, forcefully detangling the knots and ignoring the pain that her rough, rushed motions caused. Once her hair was in order, the woman abandoned the brush on the counter, practically sprinted down the hall, and yanked the front door open. William’s car was gone, as he was currently using it, leaving Vanny with a run down, slightly rusty hunk of junk that was almost ready to be retired. She and William rode together as much as possible, but when it came down to it, she was left driving the ‘rust bucket’ as she and William referred to it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t a pretty thing, but it got her where she needed to go, and that was all that mattered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny clambered inside of the car and frantically jammed her keys into the ignition. If she sped… No. Clay would be about. Hurricane was a small town, and the cops had nothing better to do than run radar and pull people over for speeding. Vanny sucked in a deep breath and began to pull out of the driveway. She needed a new alarm clock.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Vanny sat on top of the kitchen counter, despite the fact that Mary would have scolded her if she saw. Mary wasn’t here, though. It was just Vanny and the twins, who were sleeping peacefully in their little bedroom. The door to the nursery was open, and Vanny had been peeking in every once in a while to make sure that they were still sound asleep. They had been asleep when Vanny got here, and they were still blissfully unaware that their parents had elected to leave them in the care of someone else with no explanation; not that they would’ve understood, anyway. Until tomorrow night, it would be just her, Bunny and Bear. That was, of course, unless William decided to crash here after work was dealt with. Vanny wasn’t counting on William’s unannounced arrival, though. She was content with spending the night with two babies who had little to no understanding of human speech.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An apple rested in one of her hands, and a novel was perched in the other. It was some romance story that she had come across at the book store in town. Vanny was by no means head over heels for romantic fantasies and fluffy, nausea-inducing sweetness, but the promise of angst, monsters, and uncertainty had her hooked. Her eyes drifted across the used pages with interest, taking in every word, and picturing the scenes being described in great detail. Soft, calm nights that smelled like rain and lavender was the scene set before her, and Vanny chewed on her apple with distant interest. She wasn’t that hungry anymore; hunger has been replaced with burning curiosity, and as she slipped into the fantasy world of monsters and mystics, the apple was forgotten entirely.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, a soft sound pulled her from the novel, and she quickly slid the playing card she had been using as a bookmark into the pages before setting it down on the counter. She slid off the grey surface and silently crept through the kitchen and into the hallway. Two cribs had been arranged inside of the nursery, and a movement from one of them caught Vanny’s attention as soon as she peered inside. Sammy was squirming in his crib, kicking his feet and making noises. Wanting to keep him from waking Charlie, Vanny was quick to swoop in and scoop him up, then turn and head out of the nursey with him pressed against her chest. He wasn’t crying, but Vanny didn’t want to rouse Charlie from her nap for a while longer. She wasn’t quite sure how she would be able to handle two crying babies at once, and that thought hadn’t really crossed her mind until now. She would figure that out when she got there, she supposed. Henry had promised her that Sammy was the calmer of the two, and after the fits that she had seen Charlie throw, she didn’t doubt him for a second. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sammy was gazing up at Vanny, clearly confused to see her instead of one of his parents. He was used to having her around, though, so he wasn’t the least bit frightened. Vanny made her way into the living room, then sat down with the child in her arms. She beamed down at the baby, and he gave her a drooly, dopey smile in return. He kicked his feet and made a coo, to which Vanny stuck her tongue out in a playful manner. Sammy, ever the joyous little bundle of drool, let out a squeal that was far too loud. It bounced off the walls, and Vanny winced. Hopefully, that hadn’t woken Charlie. A few moments passed without any noise from the nursery, and Vanny found herself relaxing a little. She looked back down at Sammy who was still beaming as a large amount of spit dribbled out of his mouth. Vanny didn’t understand how one child could produce so much saliva, but she quickly reached for a rag on the coffee table in front of her. The woman gently wiped the boy’s face clean, ignoring his displeased wiggling as she did so. The rag was now soaked, and Vanny discarded it back onto the coffee table where she had found it with a disgusted flick of her fingers, visibly appalled that some of the slobber had managed to soak through and onto her fingers. Sammy found her expression to be amusing if his soft giggles were an indictor, and Vanny found herself smiling as she wiped the excess slobber onto her jeans.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that funny to you?” She asked with a soft laugh. Sammy kicked his tiny feet again and let out another nonsensical series of babbles as he reached up to grab onto Vanny’s hair. Before she could stop him, a large strand of her hair was already in his grasp. Sammy yanked, and Vanny let out a sound akin to a grunt. Her hand came up to grasp onto Sammy’s wrist, and she stared at him with a stern expression. He was a baby, so she wasn’t truly mad at him, but she made quick work of prying his grubby little fingers away from her hair. Sammy didn’t seem phased by her stern expression, if anything, he was laughing even harder than before as Vanny fought to reclaim her hair. She didn’t want to hurt him, but he was surprisingly strong for his age. Then again, Vanny didn’t really have any other children besides Charlie to compare him to. Babies weren’t something she had been around much in her lifetime. She saw them in passing but had never truly babysat before. Despite the fact that she had younger cousins, she had never been forced to watch them as a child. Her father didn’t get along well with his sister, so her exposure to her cousins were rare occurrences during holidays. Vanny had no idea if she had any aunts or uncles on her mom’s side of the family. Her mother hadn’t mentioned any if they did exist.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sammy shoved his fingers into his mouth with a squeal, coating them with a revolting amount of slobber. “You’re disgusting,” Vanny muttered with a shake of her head. Sammy continued to smile, unable to grasp what her words meant as he continued to suck his fingers.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Pacing back and forth in the living room wasn’t what Vanny had in mind for the night. Sammy was sitting comfortably in his swing, swaying back and forth with a pacifier in his mouth. The TV was playing some cartoon Vanny didn’t care for, but it was keeping Sammy distracted, and that was all that mattered. Charlie on the other hand wasn’t quite as calm. The girl was thrashing around in Vanny’s arms, unwilling to accept the bottle that was being offered to her. The formula inside was growing cold, and Vanny was getting a little anxious. Was Charlie alright? Henry had warned her that Charlie could get fussy and stubborn, but this had been going on for the past fifteen minutes. Watching Mary calm them down from the sidelines had been a different experience. Vanny hadn’t realized just how bad Charlie could get, but she had promised Henry that she would look after the kids, and that was exactly what she was going to do. The sun was slipping away, leaving the living room lit only by the glow of the TV and what little sunlight remained. Vanny’s gentle shushes and rocking did nothing to soothe Charlie, and as the girl’s screams only grew louder, Vanny began to search for other options. Charlie </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> to eat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny walked out of the living room for a moment and into the hallway, continuing to mutter to Charlie, rambling pointless pleas for her to calm down. Charlie didn’t understand, and she only screamed louder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Why did Henry have to have </span>
  <em>
    <span>two </span>
  </em>
  <span>of them? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, taking care not to knock the framed pictures hanging from them to the floor. If Sammy had the same temper as Charlie, she would have already given in and called William, begging for backup.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William was probably at home already. Work had been a little hectic as of late, especially with Henry being at home a lot more than usual. William and Vanny had been dealing with most of the work-related issues, but William had assured her that her absence tonight wouldn’t weigh too heavily on him. It was just for tonight, after all. Vanny trusted that William had everything under control,</span>
  <em>
    <span> unlike her.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Charlie continued to writhe and scream, and Vanny continued to bounce the baby in her arms. The sounds of the TV were distant, but Vanny found herself tuning Charlie’s screams out without realizing it, focusing instead on the cartoon’s audio that was pouring into the hall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny closed her eyes and continued to rock Charlie in her arms, and after a while, Charlie’s sobs began to quell. Vanny felt the bottle being pulled from her hand, and she opened her eyes to see Charlie suckling on it without a problem. The child’s face was still wet and red from her fit, but she was quiet and eating, at least. Vanny sucked in a soft breath and sighed, then pushed away from the wall to head back into the living room. Sammy was asleep now, still rocking in his swing as a cartoon woodpecker laughed on the TV. Being careful not to disturb him, Vanny slowly sat down on the couch, holding Charlie securely in her arms. There was an uncomfortable ache in Vanny’s feet from pacing around for so long, but finally being able to settle back down on the couch was more satisfying than she ever thought it could be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Charlie was silent as she finally drank her bottle, and the light from the TV was just enough for Vanny to see as the child begin to doze off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For once, Vanny was exhausted before it was horribly late.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It felt weird being here alone, though. The babies were here with her, yet Henry wasn’t. Being in his house without him felt odd, and spending an entire day away from William had proved to be a little saddening. It had been a while since they had spent this much time apart, and she was beginning to realize just how much she really clung to him. She knew that William didn’t mind her clinginess, quite the contrary, actually. They had lived together for so long now that being separated even one night felt terribly lonely and wrong. Vanny watched Charlie doze off in silence, then began to move off the couch as slowly and quietly as she could manage. The empty bottle was placed on the coffee table, and Vanny glanced at Sammy one last time to make sure he was still asleep before creeping down the hall. The nursery was illuminated by a small night light in the corner that made the glitter on the walls sparkle. As pretty as it was, Vanny didn’t linger for long. Charlie was lowered into her crib, and Vanny backed away silently, almost as if she had just placed a live bomb down and the slightest noise would set it off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Charlie remained unconscious as Vanny crept back out into the hallway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sammy was scooped up out of his swing carefully, but it didn’t feel like such a big risk to move him in comparison to his sister. Vanny crept back into the nursery, laid Sammy down in his crib, then slipped back out into the hall, shutting the door behind her.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With the babies out of the way, the woman trudged into the kitchen to get herself something to eat before inevitably passing out on the couch. Before he had left, Henry had reassured her that she was free to take whatever she wanted from the fridge or cabinets, but she was far too exhausted to go through the trouble of actually preparing anything decent. As soon as the fridge was pulled open, she came face to face with a small plastic container of spaghetti.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Perfect. She wouldn’t even need to heat anything up. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>A horrible scream made Vanny jolt awake, and she nearly fell off of the couch in her panic. Her confusion died away instantly after she realized what it was; two screaming children. The living room was still incredibly dark, and the only source of light was still the TV that was playing a movie she didn’t recognize. It was still the middle of the night. Vanny rubbed her eyes with a groan before pushing herself to her feet. It took her a moment to head towards the nursey, but as she crept closer, it became unmistakably clear that, yes, both of them were screaming. Still struggling to keep her eyes open, Vanny walked inside and stood between the two cribs. Both of them were thrashing around, kicking and sobbing. She had no idea who she should care for first, so she scooped Sammy up first. He was more likely to be calmed down quicker, and Vanny had a feeling that getting Charlie to be quiet would be a nightmare. Vanny turned to the small changing table in the corner of the room and gently laid Sammy down on it. The boy’s eyes were screwed shut as he made his discomfort known. A headache began to wash over Vanny, and as she glanced back at Charlie in her crib, screaming bloody murder, she began to regret assuring William that she would be fine on her own. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <span>Sammy was an angel. Sammy had been changed, then quieted down as he was returned to his crib. Charlie… </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t as pleasant</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Despite being clean and having nothing visibly wrong with her, the child had refused to quit her screaming. Vanny had left Sammy in the nursery to drift back off to sleep, which left her pacing through the halls and living room with Charlie. The woman was beginning to grow impatient with the girl, and she was out of options. She had refused to take a bottle, and despite already having been changed, refused to simply be quiet and go back to sleep. “What do you want?” Vanny groaned out as she sat down on the couch. Charlie sucked in a harsh gasp and opened her eyes, staring up at the woman who most certainly wasn’t her mother. She was quiet now, at least. Vanny’s shoulders slumped and she leaned back on the couch, keeping Charlie close. Now that the fit was over, the sounds from the TV were the only sound filling the house. Vanny closed her eyes for just a moment, and when she opened them, she was met with big, curious ones right below her. Charlie was silently staring at her, captivated by the earrings dangling from her earlobes. The quiet of the night was amazing, and Vanny slowly sat up, making sure not to drop Charlie in the process. Tiny fingers reached out in hopes of snagging the blue rings, but Vanny was one step ahead, and Charlie was pulled away from her chest, too far away to capture them. The baby swing was put to use yet again, and Charlie relaxed a little more as she was placed into it. With an exhausted grunt, Vanny laid down on the couch, watching as Charlie looked around the room in awe, wide awake. The swing was supposed to get her back to sleep, not keep her awake. Vanny shifted on the couch and rolled onto her side, watching as Charlie’s eyes only grew bigger. She wasn’t going to sleep again anytime soon...</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for an entire chapter of fluff.<br/>This felt bizarre</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Stay</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A noise from outside caused William to perk up from the stove where dinner was currently being made. The sound of someone pulling into the driveway was what he had heard, thanks to the open windows. It was a nice night, not too hot and not too cold. It was a perfect night for a walk, but William had a feeling that Vanny wouldn’t be up for that. She was probably already exhausted, but he was content with spending the night inside, watching a movie, or something relaxing. He could hear a car door open, shut, and the jingling of keys. It only took a moment for the front door to come open, and a very tired woman slipped inside. Vanny kicked her boots off at the door and trudged inside, looking half dead. William turned from the pot he was currently stirring and gave her a gentle smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How was parenting?” He asked with an amused hum. Even though Vanny’s physical appearance told him everything he needed to know, he wanted to hear all about her little visit with the gremlins. He’d never had the misfortune of watching over them, but he knew that the day was fast approaching when he would be asked to watch over the twins. If he were being completely honest, he wasn’t at all looking forward to it. Vanny let out a soft grunt as she sat down at the kitchen table. She began tapping the surface with what remained of her nails. William could tell by the gnawed nail polish that she’d gotten anxious while she was there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How do they manage two of them?” Vanny asked as her gaze drifted up to William. She was exhausted, but she was far too hungry to pass up eating before inevitably passing out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William shrugged, then turned back to stirring whatever was inside of the pot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s two of them,” he pointed out with a hum. “One kid for each lucky parent.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sarcasm was impossible to miss in his voice. He adored the twins, but he still wasn’t in love with Henry’s absence. He missed being carefree and having the freedom to leave work almost any time he wanted. Henry was always at home with the kids, and William was ashamed to admit that it made him more than a little upset. Dealing with problems at work was fine, but losing time with Henry felt like a massive blow. He had always assumed that Henry would settle down one day, but not this soon, and not this sudden. Mary was pleasant enough, he supposed as he stared down at the spaghetti in front of him. She didn’t see eye to eye with him or Vanny on a lot of things, but she could have been a lot worse. Mary wasn’t insistent on Henry dropping Fredbear’s to seek out another job. Why would she be? She was living for free in his house and… William distantly realized that he’d been stirring the spaghetti a little violently, but Vanny hadn’t noticed at the very least. He sucked in a small breath, then turned to focus entirely on Vanny. Her big green eyes drifted up to look at him, and she offered him a sleepy but content smile. She was home now, and Sammy and Charlie weren’t her burdens to bear anymore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How was work?” She asked in a small voice. William shrugged, shook his head, then craned his neck to look at the pasta. “Alright. Nothing eventful. I gave the animatronics a few new songs, but you already knew about that.” Vanny nodded. She was aware that he’d been meaning to give them new shows, but she was happy that they’d have something different for the returning guests. Her eyes drifted down to her hands, and to her chewed up fingernails.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William had already noticed them, and she knew that, but she still felt odd. She wasn’t sad or anxious, but a weird feeling lingered, and it made her uncomfortable at the very least.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They get better as they get older, you know,” William assured her with a soft smile. Her babysitting services wouldn’t end past infancy, he was sure. Why would anyone pass up free childcare? Granted, Henry wouldn’t abuse Vanny’s generosity, but she was still worn down from </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> visit. This was going to be hell, and they weren’t even her kids. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They better,” The woman muttered irritably. She wasn’t upset with William, but she was far too tired to put on a cheery smile and act as if she didn’t feel like death. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are we having?” She asked with a small exhale, slipping down in her chair and slumping forward until her cheek was resting against the wooden table. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William turned away completely, focusing instead on dinner. “Spaghetti and garlic bread.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite the fact that Vanny had just eaten a container of cold spaghetti last night, she wasn’t against having more. It would be warm this time, at least. She was too hungry and miserable to protest; she was just happy that she didn’t have to make dinner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need…” Vanny began in a groan. William glanced over his shoulder and cocked his brow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need a hug, pronto…” She slurred. That made William grin, and he set the wooden spoon he had been using down on the counter for a brief moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is urgent?” He asked as he wiped his hands off on a small rag that he’d set on the counter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny nodded as best she could from the awkward angle she was in, and lifted her sore arms up, opening and closing her hands in a grabbing motion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Very,” She assured him, sounding positively run down. William tossed the rag down on the counter and walked over, bending down to wrap her in a firm hug. Vanny turned and rested her chin on his shoulder, letting out a little grunt as he pulled her close. Her hands eventually found their way to his back, and she gripped onto his shirt with a shaky sigh. Part of her wanted to have him carry her to bed and stay with her, snuggling until they fell asleep, but she was far too hungry for that. A sudden growl from her stomach made her wince and made William grin as he attempted to free himself from the hug.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t finish dinner until you let go, Ness.” He pointed out in a low tone. Vanny surrendered her grip on him and allowed him to pull away to return to the stove. Vanny slowly blinked as she watched William walk away. When did she get dizzy? That was the price for not eating lunch, she supposed with a little huff. She had been too preoccupied with the goblins, though. She had honestly forgotten to grab anything for herself until her head ached and it was already too late. Vanny gripped onto the sides of the table in an attempt to stop the world from spinning, but it did very little to help. Will was oblivious of the extent of her discomfort, focusing entirely on finishing up the food with his back turned. Vanny pushed her back against the back of her chair, attempting to ground herself at least a little. William’s voice seemed like a distant dream, but Vanny focused on it instead of the pain in her stomach and fading headache.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s on the agenda for tonight?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny wanted to offer up the idea of a movie or maybe breaking out some playing cards, but she already felt like passing out. Sadly, even though she would have liked to stay up, Vanny knew that the best thing for her was to just call it a night right after dinner and go to sleep. Whether or not William would join her wasn’t certain. Sometimes he stayed up later than her, tinkering away at small machines and drawing up amazing ideas that made Vanny’s heart flutter in excitement. She always loved watching him work, but he didn’t always want to be watched, and she was alright with that. Vanny opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, swallowing down a sudden wave of nausea. After a moment of silence, William craned his neck to look at her. He could tell by the look on her face alone that she was too miserable to even attempt staying up later. He took no offense; he could only imagine how draining watching both of the kids had been. William felt a little guilty that he hadn’t been there to help her out, but he had assured her before she went that she should call him if she needed any assistance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course, this was Vanny. She wouldn’t give in and call if she felt like she was being a burden. William decided right then and there that he’d accompany her next time, whenever that would be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sleep?” William offered, filling the silence with his soft voice. Vanny waited until he glanced back at her, and then she nodded. She wanted to respond aloud, but her headache was returning, and speaking seemed to be rousing nausea.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will shot her a sympathetic smile before retrieving the garlic bread from the oven. The smell was wonderful, and it only made Vanny’s stomach growl in anticipation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It only took another minute before a plate of warm food sat in front of her, and Vanny devoured it without hesitation. If she was in public, she probably would have been a little more decent and at least made an attempt to keep the sauce off of her face. She needed to eat to feel better, though, and the sooner she got food in her stomach, the sooner her headache would subside. Nothing was said while Vanny cleaned her plate. William didn’t want to make her head hurt worse, and Vanny welcomed the quiet, even if she felt it was a little lonely. Dinner didn’t last long, and Vanny was unsurprisingly the first to finish. William glanced up at her with a mouthful of food, then smiled as his gaze returned to what little remained on his own plate.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you want me to carry you to bed?” He questioned, already knowing the answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny nodded and gave him a groggy smile as she leaned forward to rest her chin on the back of her hands. She waited patiently as he finished his food, put the dishes into the sink, and then arrived by her side. He smiled down at her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he bent down to scoop her up. Vanny was extremely easy to lift up, so carrying her around was something he did often. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There were no complaints from Vanny, only pleased smiles and soft chuckles as she was carried into the bedroom. She could have walked, but where was the fun in that? The bed was soft and the sheets were cold, and Vanny shivered as William placed her down on the mattress. His forehead pressed against hers as he loomed above her, grinning as she refused to let go of him. There were dishes waiting for him, though. He couldn’t put them off until tomorrow.  Scrubbing them until his arms ached didn’t sound favorable, but neither did leaving Vanny. Soft, gentle fingers traced over William’s cheek, and he shivered as the woman below him cupped his cheeks in her palms. Green eyes stared into green eyes, and fond smiles were exchanged in the quiet of the bedroom. Vanny’s hands slowly slid up to slide through the mess of dark brown that was William’s hair. The caresses were soothing, and William found himself slowly relaxing onto Vanny as her caresses continued. He knew what she was doing, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. She wanted him to stay. His hands slowly slid up to her head, and he placed a hand on her cheek. Vanny tilted her head to the side, leaning into the touch as she closed her eyes. It had felt like ages since they’d been together, despite the fact that it hadn’t truly been that long.  Vanny eventually opened her eyes and stared up at Will. He seemed content and tired, but he was doing his best to keep his full weight off of her, even though he didn’t weigh that much. With a small sigh, Vanny wiggled her way up to rest her head on her pillow, sliding out from under William in the process. William sat up as she pushed herself to her pillow, giving her a sleepy smirk. Vanny looked at him, patted his pillow, and waited patiently. She knew he was debating on pushing the responsibility of dishes off until the morning, so she cut to the chase. “Come to bed now, and I’ll do the dishes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was all the coaxing he needed. Vanny’s chest fluttered with excitement as William made his way up to her, then flopped down with a grunt. There was no hesitation before Vanny pulled herself to William’s chest, holding onto him gently. His long, slender arms wrapped around her in return, and he sighed with a content smile as his eyes fell shut. Vanny held onto him in silence, listening to his soft breaths and the pounding of his heartbeat. She felt compelled to climb out of bed and put on pajamas, but she was simply too tired, and William was already clinging to her. It would be rude to wiggle away after begging him to stay… right? Vanny knew she was overthinking things and that William wouldn’t care if she crawled out of bed to change, but her body refused to move. The bedroom was completely silent; the only sound was soft breathing as they held onto each other. Vanny closed her eyes and smiled, focusing on the feeling of William’s fingers running through her hair.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Professionalism Aside, What color of Dye?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“New blood, new blood!” Was the first thing Vanny heard upon walking into work. William looked towards the prize corner where their employees were gathered, circled around the newest of the ‘Fredcrew’, as they called themselves. William </span>
  <em>
    <span>despised</span>
  </em>
  <span> hearing them call themselves that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny found herself smiling in amusement at their shenanigans. The newest of the ‘crew’ was currently being swarmed by the other employees. He looked nervous, but he was pushing through with an awkward little smile. Vanny hadn’t been here when William had hired the man; she had been experiencing the joys of babysitting. Mary had gotten a lot more comfortable with pawning her kids off on Vanny over the past few months, much to Vanny’s dread and dismay. It felt like she was taking care of those kids more than she was actually working most weeks. Henry and William were keeping Fredbear’s in order, thankfully.  Her absence barely made an impact. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The newcomer went by Luis, Vanny had been told, but this was the first time she’d actually seen him. His black hair was a mess, having just been ruffled by a few of the other employees, and his uniform looked like it was a size too big. The employees were practically like family; in a town as small as Hurricane, they tended to befriend each other without issue. They all frequented the same restaurants and went to see movies at the singular theater the town had to offer. Hurricane didn’t have a lot to offer, but that seemed to bring a good portion of the town together. It was easier to bond when there was so little to bond over. They all had a lot in common, and Vanny was thankful that none of them ever seemed to butt heads. Luis seemed to be fitting in, despite the playful banter and teasing he was being subjected to. Vanny watched the employees laugh and converse as she walked with Will to his office. She was glad to be back, even if it would only be for a few days.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mary’s constant request for a babysitter was beginning to wear on Vanny, but she hadn’t told Henry </span>
  <em>
    <span>or </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mary how she felt. She planned to, she really did, but now didn’t seem like the time or place. She just wanted to focus on work; that was what she was good at. Watching children wasn’t exciting to her. Fixing robots and spending her days alongside William was much more pleasant, she found. William was just as happy as she was to see her back. She had been missing a lot of days, and despite the fact that she had been coming in almost every </span>
  <em>
    <span>other </span>
  </em>
  <span>day, he was happy that Mary had no intention of pawning the kids off on her again for the rest of the week.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as they were in the privacy of his office, William turned to her with a weary sigh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You really should speak to her, you know.” He muttered with a disappointed frown.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny nodded without hesitation and sighed. She knew that, but it was easier said than done. Upsetting Mary or Henry was the last thing she wanted to do, and she found herself torn between keeping the peace and speaking her mind. She was going to have to make a choice, but she was going to think it over, just like she did with everything. Vanny was always very worried about making decisions; she had always been that way. She often kept her mouth shut if it meant avoiding confrontation, and William knew that was exactly what was happening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will pulled her into a brief hug which she promptly wiggled out from in an attempt to uphold her ‘no affection at work’ policy. William merely chuckled as she pulled away and flashed him a little grin. “We have work to do, Mr. Afton.” She hummed as she made her way over to his desk and sat down in his chair, looking over the paperwork he’d been sorting through. Bills, order forums for party supplies… Nothing too interesting caught Vanny’s eye, but she sure as hell caught William’s. The man smiled as he watched her carefully look over the paperwork. Her hair was hanging in her face, but she didn’t seem to mind it that much. William padded over to his desk and slipped his hands onto the smooth, wooden surface. Vanny’s gaze drifted up to meet his own, and the two exchanged smiles. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re long overdue for a haircut, don’t you think, Bunny?” He asked with an amused laugh. Vanny rolled her eyes and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear out of reflex.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Soon.” She assured him as she waved her hand dismissively. There were better things to do than trim her hair. They had a business to run, after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s what you said last month,” Will reminded her, to which she brushed him off with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head. She stood and sat the papers back down where she had found them before hopping up to sit on the desk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>William wasn’t phased by her clambering up on his desk to sit. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>quite unprofessional. Vanny’s insistence of keeping workplace affection to a minimum to uphold ‘professionalism’ was laughable when compared to some of the things she did. Sitting on desks was only the tip of the unprofessional iceberg. Stealing stickers from the prize counter wasn’t very professional, and neither was sliding extra tokens to the kids who couldn’t afford any more when she was certain that nobody was looking. But that was one of the things he loved about Vanny. Even now, after so much had changed, both around her and parts of herself, she was still </span>
  <em>
    <span>her. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She was the wide-eyed, fun-loving idiot he’d fallen for so long ago, and even though she had changed, she was still her. Time hadn’t changed her, and neither had the success of Fredbear’s. Professional or not, he adored her, and he let her believe he was clueless to her distribution of extra tokens. Why say anything? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few free tokens here and there wasn’t hurting anyone, and William found it cute how her face would light up when slipping them to the kids. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny brushed her hair off of her shoulders and sighed as William took a seat right in front of her in his chair. He gave her a slight smile as he leaned in, scooping the stack of papers she had been holding moments before into his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “We should </span>
  <em>
    <span>both </span>
  </em>
  <span>go in for a haircut.” He hummed pleasantly as he looked over the papers. Vanny watched him shuffle through the pages with interest, not replying for a long moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“... Only if I can dye it.” She finally replied. William looked up from the papers with raised brows, clearly taken back. “Dye it? ...What color?” He was smiling, and Vanny took that as a good sign.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t stop her from getting her hair dyed, and he had no intention of standing in between her and whatever she planned to do to her hair, but Vanny wanted his opinion and approval. Vanny smiled and perked up, clearly happy that he seemed interested in the idea. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Purple? Or pink… Maybe blue?” Vanny trailed off, realizing that she hadn’t actually decided on a color yet. William smiled, eyeing her brown, frizzy hair for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should dye the tips,” He began. “And if you like it, then you should go for all of it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vanny nodded in agreement. Dyeing </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>of her hair was a huge leap, and if she didn’t like it, she knew that she’d be stuck with it for quite some time. “And you should probably actually decide on a color before we go in,” He added with a good-natured laugh. Vanny couldn’t help the smile that blossomed on her face as she leaned back, lying down on her back across the desk. William scooted up a little closer and leaned forward, resting his cheek on her stomach. Vanny glanced at him and smiled as her fingers found their way into his hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should dye yours, too.” She hummed as she rubbed his hair in between her fingers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Absolutely not.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This was so short I'm sorry. I'll post a bigger update soon.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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